Frontline: Bush's War
by Michael Kirk
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DVD details
Actor: .Director: Michael Kirk
Brand: PBS
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.77:1
Running Time: 270 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-05-27
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: PBS (Direct)
DVD Reviews of Frontline: Bush's War
DVD Review: The More Things Change...
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a fascinating study of the major decision-making that led to the Iraqi adventure and the conduct of five years of military operations. What really stuns any viewer with a sense or knowledge of history is the total lack of any foresight and the haughty arrogance displayed by the chief protagonists. Despite all of the attempted comparisons of the Iraq and Vietnam wars rolled out by the media (at least after the initial US "victory") the only real similarities between the two were there for all to see from the beginning - the US's "right" to militarily intervene despite the opinions of the rest of the world, a total lack of intelligence on the intentions or capabilities of the enemy, no knowledge of Iraqi history, culture, language, or aspirations.
Tied to this is the extremely dangerous state that the military high command has fallen into since the end of WWII. The Pentagon has seemingly fallen into the habit of becoming "yes men" to any hair-brained scheme that a presidential administration deems necessary. Add to this the habit of retaining and promoting high-ranking officers who obviously have no business in their positions of authority (eg. Westmoreland and Franks). What McNamara/Rumsfield wants, McNamara/Rumsfield gets - despite any previous historical precedent to the contrary. The Pentagon then "gets with the program." After all, "its not much of a war, but its the only one we've got." Sound familiar?
The most scathing image in the broadcast is fleeting. General Franks' (who followed Rumsfield's "low footprint" recipe for disaster and who had scorned the advice of lower-ranking officer's for an enlarged invasion/occupation force) helo carrying him out of Iraq at the moment of his "triumph", when the real war had only just begun. Sanchez, the two-year hiatus before the military realized (or admitted) that it was fighting a counter-insurgency war, Bremer's insane de-Baathification policies (didn't he ever watch "Patton"?) - yeah, theres your Vietnam analogy. Hubris, denial, and stupidity. And, as in Vietnam, who would pay the ultimate price for all of it? Coalition soldiers and Iraqi civilians. Classic.
DVD Review: Excellent, but not totally complete
Summary: 4 Stars
Excellent documentary. I supported Bush and his "war". I watched this thinking it would be some kind of stupid Michael Moore-type hatchet job, but it isn't. It is very intelligent and very accurate, mostly.
The only thing I would have liked to see is the following:
- Saddam's history of supporting terrorism (Abu Nidal, the Bin Ladin of the 1980s, was living in Baghdad, when the U.S. invaded. Why ?)
- The 1998 Iraqi Liberation Act, a Clinton-era law that declared it as the official U.S. policy to overthrow Saddam.
- How the 1991 Gulf War, from a legal point of view never ended. And thus, America was indeed justified under international law to recommence hostilities, because there was no peace treaty in 1991, and Saddam also had not complied with 17 UN resolutions.
- How Clinton had repeatedly bombed Iraq.
- How the Kurds view Bush as their savior and revere America.
- The fact that one main reason for invading Iraq was to force the Saudis off the "fence" and get them to commit to a war vs. Al Quida.
- How Libya gave up its WMD program right after the invasion (coincidence ?)
Until those things are in this, it remains an excellent documentary, but ultimately incomplete.
DVD Review: Compelling viewing, wholly informative and greatly enlightening
Summary: 5 Stars
I am Australian and have a keen interest in America so this was bought for me as a Christmas present. My interests however are more about US history and politics, not war, but it made for compelling viewing. My interest in the US intensified after 9/11 (I was 22 at the time) and I must admit to largely training my attention on all things other than the Iraq war beyond the political context even though I knew I was ignoring one of the most important events in the history of the US. This documentary was a real eye opener. I would say I am like most observers of the conflict (who have no direct connection to it) and see it for its difficulty and sheer horror and have been overwelmed by its complexity and frankly sheer length. Keeping a mental hold on the conflict is not easy without real absorption. This documentary puts everything in such chronological order and necessary context that one comes out of it with an infinitely more informed viewpoint and one I hope to be a starting point for further study on my part.
Viewing it was especially timely for me given the recent election and imminent inauguration of Barack Obama and I imagine was much more timely for US audiences pre-election. I started out with a negative pre-9/11 opinion of the Bush administration, which became supportive immediately post 9/11, and has solidified into a poor opinion, specifically in connection to the response of 9/11 post Afghanistan and the handling of the 9/11 Commission.
This documentary for me expanded upon my initial distrust of the administration as it opens an endless parade of further avenues for questioning and slams home my initial opinion even further. Don't get me wrong I still find America and its society fascinating and the people mainly fantastic, I just dont like the Bush administration. Economics aside, the next 2 years will be VERY interesting for America. Good luck Mr Obama.
DVD Review: Educational and Interesting
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this title for my husband and he has really enjoyed watching it. It is very enlightening about the run-up to the war in Iraq, especially the events surrounding our government during 9/11. Everyone should read it. I'm sure in the years to come this will be watched more by people who want to know how this country became such a mess.DVD Review: Worth the time, everyone should see this
Summary: 5 Stars
Frontline does a great job of breaking down the need-to-know information and the context when events took place. The strongest endorsement of the documentary is the quality and high-level guests and interviews. I haven't even made it the whole way through because I've seen several parts multiple times. Fascinating.
Description of Frontline: Bush's War
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.General DVDs
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