Emotional Michael Moore calls Afghanistan troop build-up 'insane'

Following President Obama's announcement on Tuesday of a short-term troop surge in Afghanistan, an emotional Michael Moore told CNN's Larry King, "I feel very bad for him."

"I feel even worse for our troops," Moore went on, blinking back tears. "And I feel a real sadness for the parents of those soldiers.of ours over the next eighteen months who will not come back home."

"Our own CIA says there's less than a hundred al Qaeda in Afghanistan," Moore explained. "What are we doing in Afghanistan? This is absolutely insane. ... We have been in this war for twice as long now as the US was in World War II. ... We're going to have 100,000 troops there to find these killers -- who aren't even there!"

Moore has been begging the president over the last week not to escalate the war in Afghanistan, writing at his own website, "If you go to West Point tomorrow night ... and announce that you are increasing, rather than withdrawing, the troops in Afghanistan, you are the new war president. ... With just one speech tomorrow night you will turn a multitude of young people who were the backbone of your campaign into disillusioned cynics. You will teach them what they've always heard is true -- that all politicians are alike. I simply can't believe you're about to do what they say you are going to do. Please say it isn't so."

"I hate to be even saying these things," Moore told King in conclusion, "because I honestly think Barack Obama is a good and decent man. He has a good heart. I believe he's a man of peace. ... I don't think there's any evil or dark place in his heart that's where this is coming from. I just think that he's listened to the generals. He's taken bad advice."

CNN has a complete transcript here.

This video is from CNN's Larry King Live, broadcast Dec. 1, 2009.