Santorum on Film

(via Sully) I can think of nothing funnier than this, today ...

Michael Moore, look out. Rick Santorum is getting into the documentary filmmaking business and he's out to tell ''the other side of the story.''

Less than three months removed from his congressional career, the former Pennsylvania senator said in an interview last week that he is planning two film projects in part to counter what he characterized as the stream of left-wing documentaries coming from Hollywood and independent filmmakers.

The first project, Santorum said, would explore the relationship between radical Islam and the radical leftists in various countries around the world, including Latin America. It would be about an hour in length.

The second would be a longer, broader documentary that he said would aim to ''change the culture of America.'' He declined to go into specifics about the proposal.

''Politics and political dialogue has some impact on America but changing the culture has a much bigger impact,'' Santorum said about his new role outside the public sector and his push to make documentaries. ''That is what the left is doing and doing it in a big way, producing a lot of left content for Hollywood, and even not just out of Hollywood. Even independent films are now more and more left-wing driven, whether it is Michael Moore or Al Gore.''

I think there's certainly ample ground (and audience) for the viewpoints of both conservatives and moderates in the documentary genre. The problem here, of course, is Santorum's limited focus. The problem isn't Moore and Gore doing documentaries. The latter is a one-trick pony incapable of a sufficient sequel. The former has exceeded his 15 minutes of fame that lasted from the early days of the once-innovative Roger & Me to the final credits of the more formulaic and problematic Fahrenheit 9/11. The genre is overindulged by more of a sociological-left bent, but that goes into a lot more nuanced categories than Gore or Moore ever wrestle with.

That Santorum sees that as his challenge should only make his resulting response more comical and very likely pushing the limits of inane childishness - a crown that currently resides with the most silent member of the Supreme Court.

What's interesting about this, to me at least, is that there's a certain amount of parallel here. Parallel between Santorum, a Senator-turned-filmmaker, to a few select other groups focusing on challenging a system (crashing a gate, if you will) by focusing on a response that fails to lean on a competitive advantage of the individual in question. Santorum has served as a legislator for years. Whatever one's differences (mine included), he's at least taken a serious approach to policy. So is his advantage aimed better at something more scholarly ... or debating camera angles? Granted, his last book was pretty easily discredited and seen as a purile response to Hillary Clinton's book, "It Takes a Village." So who knows, maybe that's all he's aiming for.