Michael Moore’s assertion that snipers are cowards comes apparently from his father’s experience during World War II.
Therefore, the filmmaker asserts that snipers are cowardly because they don’t fight “fair.”
http://www.people.com/article/michael-moore-explains-snipers-tweets-american-sniper
His comments came as a critique of “American Sniper,” the film about the late Chris Kyle, whose exploits as a Navy SEAL sniper in Iraq have become the stuff of military legend.
I’ll just add that snipers are as brave as frontline grunts — infantrymen who walk the point and expose themselves to enemy fire. They are heroes because they, too, expose themselves to the enemy the moment the muzzle flashes or the sound of the weapon echoes.
Moore sought to walk some of his comments back by praising the Oscar-nominated performance by Bradley Cooper as Kyle. But then he took off after director/producer Clint Eastwood, who — according to Moore — conflates Iraq with Vietnam. He mentions the use of the word “savages” to describe the Iraqis.
Well, that’s the kind of language warriors use to refer to the enemy, Michael.
I, too, saw the film over the weekend and for the life of me, I do not see any confusion between those two wars. Eastwood told a compelling story in riveting fashion.
As for Michael Moore, I believe I’ve heard enough from him on this topic.