The Original Fahrenheit Writer

John Fund has an interesting piece on Ray Bradbury, writer of Fahrenheit 451, in Political Diary:

Sci-Fi Hero Mugged by Reality

Novelist Ray Bradbury has captivated reading audiences for 60 years with such classics as "The Martian Chronicles," "The Illustrated Man" and "Fahrenheit 451." A new biography by Sam Weller sheds interesting light on the politics of this literary force-of-nature.

Mr. Bradbury began as a staunch Democrat, going so far as to take out a full-page ad in Variety, the show-business Bible, after the 1952 victory of Dwight Eisenhower. His "open letter" to Republicans warned: "Every attempt that you make to identify the Democratic Party as the party of Communism, as the 'left-wing' or 'subversive' party, I will attack with all my heart and soul." But Lyndon Johnson's later mishandling of the Vietnam War left him disenchanted and he voted Republican for the first time in 1968. Although he considers himself an independent, he has since voted for the GOP in every presidential election save 1976, when he voted for Jimmy Carter. But as Mr. Weller explains, Mr. Carter's inept handling of the economy "pushed [Mr. Bradbury] permanently away from the Democrats."

His attitude wasn't improved last year when left-wing filmmaker Michael Moore appropriated the title of his seminal anti-censorship novel "Fahrenheit 451" for his anti-Bush agitprop documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11." Mr. Bradbury was furious that he hadn't been asked for permission and also concerned that his book would be confused with the film. After fruitless attempts to contact Mr. Moore, the novelist went on television to demand: "Give me my title back!" Mr. Moore finally called with the news that the premiere of his film was only two weeks away and he could do nothing to change the title. But Mr. Bradbury had the last laugh. Two weeks after Mr. Bush's re-election, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts in a White House ceremony for "his commitment to the freedom of the individual" as "the greatest living American writer of science fiction." The award represented recognition that almost everyone would agree is well deserved.

That was a nice touch by President Bush to award him the medal right after the election. Given Michael Moore's attempts at fiction, maybe he can qualify for one under another President Clinton (or McCain for that matter).