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a must see. 2010-06-17

Reviewer: Laura Z. Quist

wow. watch this doc and when you're done watching, watch "food inc", then take a deep breath and ask what you can do to positively change the world in which you live?

Bush's folly 2010-06-17

Reviewer: David Bonesteel

Charles H. Ferguson has made an extraordinary documentary about the debacle in Iraq. He makes the point that government officials with experience in the country whose assessments and recommendations contradicted the right-wing orthodoxy of Bush's inner circle, who had little or no firsthand knowledge of Iraq, were routinely ignored by the administration. Ferguson doesn't interview academics and ideologues whom one might expect to take an anti-Bush stance. Many of his subjects are former loyalists who were disillusioned by the incompetence they witnessed. The way the statements of policy makers directly contradicted those of policy implementers such as General Jay Garner, former deputy secretary of the State Department Richard Armitage, former chairman of the National Intelligence Council Robert Hutchings, and Colin Powell's former chief of staff Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, among others, was enough to make me want to cry.

Every American should see this 2010-06-13

Reviewer: Rodney Wilson

Thesis: The abysmal post-war failure of the U.S. in Iraq is primarily the fault of civilian leadership in D.C., epitomized by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. These leaders were totally ill-prepared for the aftermath of the war and consistently overruled the wisdom of military commanders and U.S. envoys on the ground who sought additional U.S. troops and a significant role for both the Iraqi military and the former leaders of Saddam Hussein's government -- men and women who could have helped stabilize the Iraqi nation followed the ouster of Saddam Hussein. Well researched.

A slow decent into another Vietnam ....... 2010-06-08

Reviewer: Bob Hoskins

2003 saw the U.S. led coalition invade and start the occupation of Iraq. Based on the documentary it soon became painfully clear that other than the invasion itself, there really was no plan.

The looting in Iraq started immediately and left the country in ruins both physically and financially. The coalition forces did nothing to stop it. The only building not looted was the oil ministry as that was the only one guarded by coalition forces.

No one in the White House administration was reading any of the "on scene" reports from the commanders. No one in the White House was listening to anyone on the ground in Iraq as proven by the appointment of L Paul Bremer to oversee everything ? His 3rd major sweep of the pen was to disband the entire Iraq Army rendering over 400,000 men unemployed in one day. All this despite warnings and advice to the contrary by the very commanders that had led the coalition forces in. The social and economic implications of such an asinine and callous decision still shape the landscape in Iraq to this day.

Obviously politicians know much better about this military stuff than 4/5 star Generals ?

The whole Iraq debacle was being run from the Pentagon by people (Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Cheney, Bush, Rice) who were so far from having even the basic experience required to do what they were doing. It would be akin to a business owner employing a baker to be a pharmacist. The cumulative military service of all in charge added up to maybe a weekend. It is easy to see why government can garner so much emotion from the governed. They make the decisions, the guys in the "thick" of it deal with the consequence.

By the end of the documentary I felt helpless and angry but I also felt part of the problem somehow. I admit to my own apathy during the time this was all going down. Like most of the country I trusted those in charge and trusted their decisions. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Documentaries can be slanted to portray the material portrayed as either good/bad, left/right wing etc etc and you can't help feeling this one is slanted a little to the political left.

Despite that, I felt that the evidence presented was overwhelming in that the Bush Administration listened to no one but themselves. They wanted this war, they were going to get this war, and anyone who stood out against it was going to feel their wrath. (Joe Wilson and his wife?). Also it's astounding how the media was completely in bed with the administration insomuch as there was little if any dissent to the actions being taken.

I recommend this documentary and I also recommend researching this whole Iraq/Bush thing further. There are many good books out there that tackle the Bush/Iraq era from many angles. It's fascinating, it's riveting but above all it's a VERY audible warning against apathy and blind loyalty.

The utter failure of Bush 2010-06-04

Reviewer: R. R Reyes

This is an amazing conformation of the Bush administrations utter failure in the handling of the Iraq war. A girl scoot troop could have made better and more informed decisions. Perhaps even a troop of monkeys would have done a better job then Bush's henchmen? This documentary shines a light on most of the blunders and out lines the cost to America. Both financially and on a human scale.

The errors in judgment and lack of military experience within the administration are both appalling and telling of the Bush white house. Every military expert was systematically ignored or sidelined. It's as if the Bush administration's primary and sole interest or concern was the protection and acquisition of Iraq's oil provisions.

This film is a testament to the complete and absolute failure of the Bush presidency.