The presidency of George W. Bush will likely be defined by the unfinished war in Iraq. This lengthy two-part PBS-aired Frontline documentary examines how a “small footprint” conflict some predicted would be a cakewalk instead turned into one of the longest, most controversial wars in American history. Part one explores how the terrorist attacks of 9/11 energized the neoconservative wing of the Bush administration, particularly Vice President Dick Cheney (called the “Moby Dick” of the Executive Office, wheeling and dealing behind the scenes, while also having the last word with President Bush), who quickly focused on Saddam Hussein as a key supporter of al-Qaeda. In this atmosphere, little critical thinking or cooperation was evident, resulting in turf wars and failures in intelligence gathering. Part two looks at the war itself and the aftermath: the impressive “shock and awe” campaign, the sense of initial jubilation quickly followed by a descent into looting, and the beginnings of a deadly insurgency, all capped by the fruitless search for weapons of mass destruction. Next came the public relations nightmare of Abu Ghraib prison, constant predictions of progress that never materialized, and planning for the “surge” campaign. Featuring interviews (mostly archival, from earlier Frontline episodes) with Richard Armitage, Richard Clarke, Condoleezza Rice, Tom Ridge, Paul Wolfowitz, and others, Bush's War doesn't offer any new revelations or conclusions (other than the fact that the war will certainly be passed on to a new president in January 2009), but it does present a solid refresher on the chronology of the Iraq War, so far. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)
Bush's War
(2008) 270 min. DVD: $29.99 ($59.95 w/PPR). PBS Video. Closed captioned. ISBN: 0-7936-9443-4. Volume 23, Issue 5
Bush's War
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