Frontline: The Dark Side
by Brent E. Huffman, Katerina Monemvassitis
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Actor: Arun Rath, Lowell Bergman, Martin Smith, Peter Haydu, Will LymanDirector: Brent E. Huffman, Katerina Monemvassitis
Brand: PBS
Cinematographer: Emmett Wilson III
Producer: Katerina Monemvassitis
Producer: Marsha Bemko
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Running Time: 60 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-08-15
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: PBS
DVD Reviews of Frontline: The Dark Side
DVD Review: More Than Just a Dark Side
Summary: 4 Stars
The Dark Side is Vice President Dick Cheney's post 9/11 reference to taking on terrorism keeping operations secret and keeping information from the American public. The Dark Side could also be construed as a cynical reference to evil side of the Force in Star Wars. This story gives enough information to support a cynical view.
For Dick Cheney a number of things must occur for him to operate on the dark side. There is his experience watching President Richard Nixon being brought down by Congress conducting the Watergate investigation. To Cheney, this is unseemly for a president to be subjected to. He believes the President should be accountable to no one for his actions.
He has to have connections, and connections that are in the right place. Donald Rumsfeld, a friend of thirty years and an experienced political infighter is running the Department of Defense (DoD). If the others aren't in the right place, he will put them there. John Bolton is sent to Department of State to check Colin Powell who is not supportive of his plans. Paul Wolfowitiz, Douglas Feith, Stephen Cambone, Richard Perle and other loyalists are placed throughout the administration to bolster his agenda. His staff is now the largest vice presidential staff in history.
Now Dick Cheney had everything in place to fight the war on terror the way he wants to, except the president has allowed George Tenet's C.I. A. to lead the attack against al-Qaeda and the Taliban. This is a blow to Cheney and to Rumsfeld who doesn't like taking second fiddle to the C.I.A. And there is Cheney who doesn't trust the C.I.A. Rumsfeld manages to withhold the military personnel the agency needs until the president puts him in charge, pushing George Tenet to the background. The DoD will now be the president's major source of "intelligence," and their major source of intelligence is Achmed Challabi, and he knows exactly what this administration wants to hear.
In order to go after Saddam Hussein, Cheney must have intelligence that links Saddam Hussein to al-Qaeda and 9/11. He complains that the C.I.A. is simply not providing "sound intelligence." His visits Langley, VA more than ten times continuously asking if there is a connection beteen al-Qaeda and Iraq and asking analysts to recheck their data. The pressure is on.
At the Pentagon, Rumsfeld's hand-picked analysts "cherry-pick" information that support Cheney's Rumsefeld's plan, and discard information that doesn't. This "intelligence" goes straight to the vice president's office without being vetted. One of these fables is Mohammad Atta meeting with an Iraqi intelligence officer in Prague. Cheney will repeat this story for two years, even after the 9/11 Commission proves that Atta was not there at that time. Cheney will continue making other links between al-Qaeda and Iraq even thought the C.I.A. finds no such connection after combing through thousands of their own documents.
One of Cheney's real marketing successes is having stories leaked to the New York Times, about aluminum tubes, and then after the story is printed, he will cite the Times as a source for the information.
But Cheney has still to convince Congress. The only document Congress trusts is the National Intelligence Estimate, or N.I. E. Under pressure from the vice president, George Tenet presents a false document to Congress stating that Iraq was creating weapons of mass destruction (W.M.D). Tenet had become a convert to a lie. He trades integrity for access. When Bush asked if the information before him is all he has, Tenet adds that it is a "slam dunk." This leads to the Sate of the Union Message with the now well-known sixteen words about yellow cake.
The C.I.A. sends Ambassador Joe Wilson to Africa to investigate. Cheney, ever suspicious of the agency, believes that the agency is trying to sabotage his agenda. Valerie Plame's identity is leaked to the press shortly thereafter.
Colin Powell, the most popular and credible person in the administration is picked to present the case for war against Iraq before the United Nations. Unbeknownst to the General, most of his information is from Rumsfeld's intelligence crew who are shaping facts around the policy. One is a completely incredible source code-named "Curveball." Powell's prestige and credibility suffer. He will leave the administration within months.
Besides taking our country to Iraq on false intelligence, and besides having the president's powers defined as virtually limitless, Cheney is also able to rid himself of the personnel who were blocking his efforts. Powell resigns. Tenet takes the fall for bad intelligence and resigns, and Rice goes over to state.
An American Machiavelli has been able to outmaneuver opponents within the administration, push foreign policy, reconstitute the power of the presidency, lie to the American public, and get a way with high crimes and misdemeanors.
Seventy percent of Americans believed that there was a connection between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. Not a single Iraqi was involved in the attack on 9/11. Seventy percent of Americans were fooled.
Happy April Fool's Day.
"There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction." Dick Cheney, Aug. 26, 2002.
293 Days and a Wake-up until we come out of the Dark Side.
Description of Frontline: The Dark Side
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