Frontline: Bush's War | 
 enlarge | Director: Michael Kirk
Studio: PBS (Direct)
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.99
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Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 8002
Format: Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc, Widescreen
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 270
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 62608
UPC: 841887009447
EAN: 0841887009447
ASIN: B00169E5J6
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: May 27, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Historically Significant Documentary July 18, 2008
Bush's War, parts 1 and 2 deal with the Bush Administration's reaction to the events of 9/11/2001. The documentary interviews so many of the important principles, it provides very valuable insights into what our nation did, what miscues we made and who the were likely the responsible parties. I highly recommend this documentary, but I also recommend reading the extended interviews which you can do at PBS.org.
Admittedly, there were some principles who weren't interviewed, namely Donald Rumsfeld, George Tenet, Douglas Feith, and of course, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Scooter Libby. However the list of people who did give interviews is impressive, with much cross-collaboration on important details regarding the Bush Administration's war on terror.
Certainly, coming out of this documentary, some individuals looked much better than others. Those who come accross as protagonists include guys like Rich Armitage, Gen. Jack Keane, Col. H.R. McMaster, Fiasco author Thomas Ricks, and David Kay. Frontline often contributes to the demonization of the antagonists in this drama by playing evil or disturbing background music when individuals such as Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, or others are discussed. But individuals such as J.Paul Bremer, Douglas Feith, Paul Wolfowitz, Scooter Libby, Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, Gen. Casey, and many others are portrayed as individuals who were key players who made serious mistakes.
The first part of the documentary deals with the government's response from the perspective of going after Al Qaeda, Afganistan, and the rule of law as the administration "took the gloves off" and used the "war on terror" as a justification for human rights violations. It also deals with the leadup to the Iraq war and the "fixing of the evidence around the policy" and the CIA's caving into the Cheney/Wolfowitz goal of invading Iraq.
The second part deals with the execution of the Iraq War from a military perspective and from the later attempts to justify the war given the lack of "weapons of mass destruction." Military strategy is discussed relative to the growing insurgency. Gen. Jack Keane's interview was perhaps the most insightful as he indicates that they never anticipated an insurgency and never had a strategy to deal with it. Even after it was evident that the insurgency was going on, the state of denial in the Bush administration was stunning to say the least.
The "light footprint" strategy of Don Rumsfeld is discussed at length, as is the efforts of some in the Bush administration such as Condi Rice to rethink the strategy for Iraq and try to deal with the insurgency.
One aspect of the documentary that is stunning is the degree to which the Bush administration was so deeply divided and ineffective in employing consistent and thoughtful strategies to deal with the crisis our nation faced. What the documentary says in so many words, but never ties together, is that it is the failure of leadership by George W. Bush that led to the fiasco. Bush brought together alot of strong individuals into his administrion. But by doing so, it meant that if he didn't provide strong leadership himself, internal dissension was inevitable. By not insisting that his team work together effectively, by not asking the hard but important questions that an effective chief executive officer must ask, Bush failed as a leader. And though Bush will hand off this war to some other President, the documentary makes it clear, that this fiasco, was "Bush's War."
A must for all to see!!!!! July 15, 2008
The coverage is fair, including opposing opinions. It's presented in a concise, dramatic, and flowing manner. As a work, it is a classic piece of drama. As a citizen of the world, it is a must to see.
Balanced and Well Done July 9, 2008
This video is exceptionally well done. Aside from the supurb documententation and interviews, this video portrays the relational dynamics in play in the President's inner circle in the aftermath of 9-11. Viewers soon recognize that conflict was inevitable; not in Iraq, but in the cabinet. That conflict and anxiety metastasized in ways that were contagious. This film describes and reveals it without making strong judgments about it. I shared my copy with a friend with a viewpoint on Iraq that is opposite my own and he too concurred, "well done."
 Meticulous and insightful April 8, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
This covers the post 9/11 period and exposes the processes and infighting involved with the 'War on Terrorism' and how we slipped (or were pushed) into it. The arguments are rational and credible so they give a good version of events.
It would have got 5 stars except for the annoying noise in the background - for what reason I do not know. Perhaps it was to keep us awake but it was certainly distracting and annoying (as well as being pointless).
However, a classy doumentary (that does not need 'musical' help - I use the word 'musical in its very widest sense).
 Great Interviews; Some Questions About Editing April 3, 2008
11 out of 25 found this review helpful
There are some fine interviews on this DVD. If you have watched Frontline in the past, then most of this DVD will seem familiar since it relies on the Frontline shows since 9/11.
I hesitate on my rating because I'm a bit skeptical of the construction of this documentary. It is made by PBS, the same folks who brought us Buying the War by Bill Moyers. Moyers, PBS, and other media outlets have been saying that the media treated Bush with kid gloves following 9/11, and that the press did not do enough to actively oppose going to war. This DVD leaves you with the same impression: Bush and company was allowed to take us to war, and did so by design. The troubling aspect is, there are many studies out there that say the exact opposite. I was hoping this documentary would take an attitude of exploration; it does not.
Given this history, I wonder about who was editing these interviews and how they were putting them together. Are we getting the real picture? For example, after reading Bush's War: Media Bias and Justifications for War in a Terrorist Age I simply don't trust the media when it reports on the war on terror. In great detail this book argues that the news media began as early as 8 weeks after 9/11 to frame Bush as an enemy, and to actively oppose the war. It covers the same period as Moyers and the Frontline DVD, but comes to very different conclusions looking at some of the same material. Moyers and the media have ignored this study. Something is just not right.
All this makes me wonder about the media's quick interpretation about the war on terror. Seems to me that it will be some time before we know what really happened; we need memoires to be published, and folks who really know what happend to feel safe coming forward to tell their stories. After all, it took years before we had a solid picture about Vietnam, and there are still holes there. This Frontline DVD just presents too tidy of a picture.
Those issues aside, this is a quality production. If you have missed the Frontline shows, or don't have high-speed access to the PBS website, then this DVD can prove invaluable if you are interested in first hand accounts from those who lead us to war. Some of those interviewed include Richard Armitage, John Ashcroft, Dick Cheney, Richard Clarke, Richard Haass, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Tom Ridge, and Paul Wolfowitz.
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