What do these two have in common? They both have authoritatively described America's descent into two catastrophic foreign policy disasters.
In his definitive book The Best and Brightest, David Halberstam chronicled how John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon allowed our country to become mired in a 9-years quagmire which cost us 50,000 KIA. In his new documentary, The Worst and the Stupidest, No End In Sight, Charles Ferguson takes a detailed look at our current Iraquagmire. Ferguson toured Iraq with his own security detail, picked the brains of other first-rate reporters and academics and interviewed an array of President Bush appointees who tried and failed to shape Iraq policy, such as Richard Armitage, ex-Deputy Secretary of State, and Robert Hutchings, The principals in this tragedy - Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and Rice - wouldn't talk to him. Bush is a relatively minor player in the story which is steeped not merely in bungling, but arrogance and incompetence on a grand scale.
I am most anxious to see this movie. The slow roll-out and limited distribution means many of us might actually have to wait for the DVD.
The reviews and analysis I've read, mostly from high profile movie critics like Roger Ebert and left of center blogs are all extremely positive.
It seems Ferguson has avoided the excesses and hyperbole that diminished Michael Moore's movie.
This is a clean, clear, factual dissertation on the immense stupidity and willful arrogance of the Bush team (especially Rumsfeld) in the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
So far there is ony a smattering of the "knee-jerk" reaction from the far right, but look for it to build as the movie gains more credibility. Watch out for the personal attacks on Ferguson.
That is a shame, because everyone needs to learn from our past, totally avoidable, disasters.
Like Wizard I'm eager to see the movie but will probably also have to wait for the DVD. The Swiftboating of Ferguson will break all records if the movie is even half as level headed as the preview implies. Hannity and Limbaugh's treatment of Cindy Sheehan will seem tame.
The notion that a radical is one who hates his country is naive and usually idiotic. He is, more likely, one who loves his country more than the rest of us, and is thus more disturbed than the rest of us when he sees it debauched. He is not a bad citizen turning to crime; he is a good citizen driven to despair.
Reverend G R Gleig, survived the First Anglo-Afghan War to write in 1843:
...a war begun for no wise purpose, carried on with a strange mixture of rashness and timidity, brought to a close after suffering and disaster, without much glory attached either to the government which directed, or the great body of troops which waged it. Not one benefit, political or military, has Britain acquired with this war. Our eventual evacuation of the country resembled the retreat of an army defeated.
SOUND OFF! 11/24/24 The Resistance Begins NOW!
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My once-great country's only hope was to remove Bush from office before his term expired to permit the early repair of the devastation he created. Now the USA is on life support.
In his definitive book The Best and Brightest, David Halberstam chronicled how John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon allowed our country to become mired in a 9-years quagmire which cost us 50,000 KIA. 
Holy mackrel! Take a Republican friend out to the movies!
ReplyDeleteThanks Vig. I'd like to see that.
ReplyDeleteI am most anxious to see this movie. The slow roll-out and limited distribution means many of us might actually have to wait for the DVD.
ReplyDeleteThe reviews and analysis I've read, mostly from high profile movie critics like Roger Ebert and left of center blogs are all extremely positive.
It seems Ferguson has avoided the excesses and hyperbole that diminished Michael Moore's movie.
This is a clean, clear, factual dissertation on the immense stupidity and willful arrogance of the Bush team (especially Rumsfeld) in the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
So far there is ony a smattering of the "knee-jerk" reaction from the far right, but look for it to build as the movie gains more credibility. Watch out for the personal attacks on Ferguson.
That is a shame, because everyone needs to learn from our past, totally avoidable, disasters.
/end editorial
Like Wizard I'm eager to see the movie but will probably also have to wait for the DVD.
ReplyDeleteThe Swiftboating of Ferguson will break all records if the movie is even half as level headed as the preview implies. Hannity and Limbaugh's treatment of Cindy Sheehan will seem tame.
Will definitely see.
ReplyDelete"Stuff happens!"
May he be vilified for decades to come.