Product Description: 9/11 and Al Qaeda, Afghanistan and Iraq, WMD and the Insurgency, Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, Fallujah and the Surge. For six years, FRONTLINE has been revealing those stories in meticulous detail, and the political dramas played out at the highest levels. Now, on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion, the full saga will unfold in this special definitive documentary analysis of one of the most challenging periods in the nation's history.
The Puppet Masters Excellent doc about the war about the current Iraq war. DVD contains wealth of info. Very convincing. Non bias. Alligns with facts. Superb sources. Doc is made in a thriller style. Great narrator. PBS hit the mark on this one.
My only complaint is the Afghan war coverage was too short and the coverage of the actual invasion of Iraq was too short. They could have expanded on this 2 areas. Some battle footage would have been great. Otherwise, this is a great buy!
Historically Significant Documentary Bush's War, parts 1 and 2 deal with the Bush Administration's reaction to the events of 9/11/2001. The documentary interviews so many of the important principles, it provides very valuable insights into what our nation did, what miscues we made and who the were likely the responsible parties. I highly recommend this documentary, but I also recommend reading the extended interviews which you can do at PBS.org.
Admittedly, there were some principles who weren't interviewed, namely Donald Rumsfeld, George Tenet, Douglas Feith, and of course, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Scooter Libby. However the list of people who did give interviews is impressive, with much cross-collaboration on important details regarding the Bush Administration's war on terror.
Certainly, coming out of this documentary, some individuals looked much better than others. Those who come accross as protagonists include guys like Rich Armitage, Gen. Jack Keane, Col. H.R. McMaster, Fiasco author Thomas Ricks, and David Kay. Frontline often contributes to the demonization of the antagonists in this drama by playing evil or disturbing background music when individuals such as Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, or others are discussed. But individuals such as J.Paul Bremer, Douglas Feith, Paul Wolfowitz, Scooter Libby, Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, Gen. Casey, and many others are portrayed as individuals who were key players who made serious mistakes.
The first part of the documentary deals with the government's response from the perspective of going after Al Qaeda, Afganistan, and the rule of law as the administration "took the gloves off" and used the "war on terror" as a justification for human rights violations. It also deals with the leadup to the Iraq war and the "fixing of the evidence around the policy" and the CIA's caving into the Cheney/Wolfowitz goal of invading Iraq.
The second part deals with the execution of the Iraq War from a military perspective and from the later attempts to justify the war given the lack of "weapons of mass destruction." Military strategy is discussed relative to the growing insurgency. Gen. Jack Keane's interview was perhaps the most insightful as he indicates that they never anticipated an insurgency and never had a strategy to deal with it. Even after it was evident that the insurgency was going on, the state of denial in the Bush administration was stunning to say the least.
The "light footprint" strategy of Don Rumsfeld is discussed at length, as is the efforts of some in the Bush administration such as Condi Rice to rethink the strategy for Iraq and try to deal with the insurgency.
One aspect of the documentary that is stunning is the degree to which the Bush administration was so deeply divided and ineffective in employing consistent and thoughtful strategies to deal with the crisis our nation faced. What the documentary says in so many words, but never ties together, is that it is the failure of leadership by George W. Bush that led to the fiasco. Bush brought together alot of strong individuals into his administrion. But by doing so, it meant that if he didn't provide strong leadership himself, internal dissension was inevitable. By not insisting that his team work together effectively, by not asking the hard but important questions that an effective chief executive officer must ask, Bush failed as a leader. And though Bush will hand off this war to some other President, the documentary makes it clear, that this fiasco, was "Bush's War."
A must for all to see!!!!! The coverage is fair, including opposing opinions. It's presented in a concise, dramatic, and flowing manner. As a work, it is a classic piece of drama. As a citizen of the world, it is a must to see.
Balanced and Well Done This video is exceptionally well done. Aside from the supurb documententation and interviews, this video portrays the relational dynamics in play in the President's inner circle in the aftermath of 9-11. Viewers soon recognize that conflict was inevitable; not in Iraq, but in the cabinet. That conflict and anxiety metastasized in ways that were contagious. This film describes and reveals it without making strong judgments about it. I shared my copy with a friend with a viewpoint on Iraq that is opposite my own and he too concurred, "well done."
Meticulous and insightful This covers the post 9/11 period and exposes the processes and infighting involved with the 'War on Terrorism' and how we slipped (or were pushed) into it. The arguments are rational and credible so they give a good version of events. It would have got 5 stars except for the annoying noise in the background - for what reason I do not know. Perhaps it was to keep us awake but it was certainly distracting and annoying (as well as being pointless). However, a classy doumentary (that does not need 'musical' help - I use the word 'musical in its very widest sense).
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