TAMPA - Michael Moore swept through town Monday and did what he does best: cause a stir.
Moore, along with actor Rosanne Barr, held an impromptu sunset rally in a fenced-in parking lot at S Howard Avenue and W Azeele Street on behalf of MoveOn.org.
The event was a microcosm of what the country has become - passionate and polarized.
Inside the fence, a couple hundred John Kerry supporters cheered approval as Moore promised that "tomorrow night, we're going to have a big party!"
Outside the fence, more than a dozen protesters held Bush/Cheney signs and yelled at the Farenheit 9/11 director, calling him a "moron" and a "liar."
Inside the fence, Moore praised Kerry's stances on the war in Iraq, the environment, gay marriage, gun laws and health insurance.
Outside the fence, the signs read "Osama loves Moore!" and "10 out of 10 terrorists prefer (Michael Moore)!"
Inside the fence, they chanted, "One more day!"
Outside the fence, they chanted, "Four more years!"
Moore, irreverent and unkempt as usual, said Tampa marked the 61st city he'd visited, on Kerry's behalf.
"The next 24 hours are the most important 24 hours of our lifetime," he told the faithful. "We're all in this together."
He spoke no longer than 15 minutes. He urged people to vote and led them in a few Kerry chants. And then his bodyguards whisked him into a waiting car, and he was gone.
"He better get out of here," said one Kerry supporter, "They'll probably try to string him up."
Just after 6 p.m., darkness arrived. The Kerry fans and Bush fans argued toe to toe, barking at each other through the chain-link fence. Talking turned to yelling, yelling turned to bumping.
Somebody called the police.
Moore was long gone, headed to Gainesville for stop No. 62.
