Here are a few things you’ll take away after watching part 2 of Bush’s War:

• The military planning of the Iraq invasion never seriously took into account the amount of civilian unrest that would follow the ousting of Saddam. 
• Our government actually thought our military would be withdrawn from Iraq by December 2003.  That’s eight months after the initial invasion.
• We put all our eggs in the “weapons of mass destruction basket” and our strategy was shattered when they never materialized.

The series ends at the beginning of the 2006 troop surge. 

Absent from Frontline’s analysis of the Iraq invasion is Gen. Petraeus who spearheaded the new surge plan that helped reinforce our “clear, hold, and build” strategy.  Absent also is the cost of the war in American and international deaths and in economic strain.

The final words are a grim reminder of where we are today after five years of an American presence in Iraq and seven years in Afghanistan.  Are the narrators words a bit too liberal?  Should we be thinking with more optimism?  Watch and read for yourself.

NARRATOR:

Violence is down in Iraq. They are cautiously calling clear, hold and build a success. But at a cost. The troops and reserves are stretched dangerously thin. The military worries how long the surge can be sustained. In his last State of the Union address, George W. Bush made a final plea to history …

PRESIDENT BUSH:

“The mission in Iraq has been difficult and trying for our nation. But it is in the vital interest of the United States that we succeed. We must do the difficult work today so that years form now, people will look back and say that this generation rose to the moment, prevailed in a tough fight, and left behind a more hopeful region and a safer America.”

NARRATOR:

Soon Bush’s war will be handed to someone new.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Frontline ”Bush’s War” part 1 on PBS: 

After watching a majority of the two and a half hour first installment of “Bush’s War” on PBS last night, I asked myself, “Where’s Bush?”. 

He was a mysteriously absent character in the march our nation took towards war with Iraq.  For a series that had devoted itself with great detail and accuracy to document one of our nations biggest blunders, I’m a little disturbed at how blind sided I feel that I’ve misplaced blame.

It’s been easy pointing a finger at Bush all these years.  He’s essentially an educated yokel.  Blunders seem like they come naturally to a character who spoke of the internet in the plural form and confused Austria with Australia.

The truth of the situation (as Frontline reported it) showed Vice President Dick Cheney and (then) Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld throwing their weight around the White House with vicious tenacity.  

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying that Bush is blameless.  He still signed his name on documents that (some would argue) illegally gave him power to make decisions that superceed the votes of Congress, the House of Representatives, and ultimately the American public (see: Patriot Act and torture bill of 2006). 

But part one of the series essentially outlined a war that was orchestrated and devised by a close knit group of high powered officials who whispered opinions into the ear of our President.  I suppose this shouldn’t be a surprise.  Bush has long been called a puppet.

Part one left us a week before the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.  Up to this point the focus was Afghanistan.  It was clearly determined the attacks of 9/11 were directly linked with Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda.  Not Iraq. 

Do you hear that people?  9/11 was never directly linked to Iraq.  I’m glad we’ve gotten the air cleared on that one.  I’m tired of arguing otherwise with the less informed.

Tonight we’ll dive right into the invasion of Iraq and the massive bumbles that will ensue.  If you missed part one (or can’t be home to watch part two tonight), PBS is airing the complete 4 1/2 hour series online at PBS.com. If you can only watch one program about the Iraq and Afghanistan war, this would be the one to catch.

Popularity: 3% [?]

I thought it would be beneficial to let everyone know about a two part television special called “Bush’s War” airing on PBS next week.

I’m happy to hear it’s being produced and broadcasted by PBS. They adhere to the highest standards of journalistic integrity, guidelines, and practices. This translates to a program that you can feel confident knowing the information presented is truthful.

Check out their guideline on journalistic standards and practices here.

The show will air Monday, March 24, 2008, from 9 to 11:30 P.M. and Tuesday, March 25, from 9 to 11 P.M. ET on PBS.

Combined with fresh reporting and new interviews, Bush’s War will be the definitive documentary analysis of one of the most challenging periods in the nation’s history.

“Parts of this history have been told before,” Kirk says. “But no one has laid out the entire narrative to reveal in one epic story the scope and detail of how this war began and how it has been fought, both on the ground and deep inside the government.”

Be prepared for many more shows and movies focusing on the last eight years of the Bush reign. By the end of the year, Olivier Stone will be producing a full length feature movie about how President Bush came to power.

I’ll be tuned in Monday and Tuesday night to see if PBS will truely stick to the facts as we know them to be today. Or, if we’ll find the episodes fueled by the national rage over the Iraq & Afghanistan wars.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Prince Harry, 3rd in line to the British throne, went to war for 12 weeks.  And for 10 of them- no one knew!

But once the media blew the whistle when footage of the Prince doing the daily war type thing was seen, the decision was made to pull the potential high profile target from the frontlines and return him home.

Although the prince did not complete his tour, former palace spokesman Dickie Arbiter says it was still a successful deployment and the government’s agreement with major British media to blackout coverage of Harry did work for a while.

“It did survive for ten weeks, and Harry has got his wish. He has been out there, at the sharp end. Done a job that he has been trained to do and come home, and come home just a little bit earlier than he should have done,” he said.

Prince Harry, best known for his party lifestyle, now has another talking point on his profile.  And it has to be given up to the Royals for letting one of their prized sons go to war to serve with his fellow troops.

On Saturday, his father Prince Charles and his older brother Prince William met Harry at Brize Norton air base near Oxford.  Charles said he now knows what being a parent of a son or daughter on active duty can do to your nerves.

“While being incredibly proud of Harry, I am, I promise, you equally proud for what it is worth of all of the dedicated service given by all our armed forces,” he said.

Reacting to Prince Harry’s return, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the right decision was made to get him out of Afghanistan.  He said security considerations for the prince were paramount.

“I think the whole country is going to be delighted that Prince Harry has come back safely, that his security has been protected,” he said.  “Very grateful for him for the work that he has done in Afghanistan. Very grateful to all the soldiers as he is for all the support they gave him and also for what they are doing for their country.”

For ten weeks, the third in line to the throne worked as a forward air controller, a job that included calling in air strikes on Taliban targets.

There’s a couple of things we here in the States could learn from this whole ordeal.  

1. How to keep our mouths shut about what our celebs are up to, because if something like this can be kept secret, then surely who got drunk at what party could be left out of the day’s newscast. 
2. You have to admire the fact that the Royal family is willing to let an heir to the throne go to war.  How many politicians in this day and age can say they’d let their children go off to “fight for their country”. 

Just something else to mull over.

Popularity: 4% [?]

If you haven’t noticed, America has gotten a little tired of the Iraq/Afghanistan war rhetoric. The proof is in the effort it took to find any mainstream news articles reporting on it. But maybe a few rockin’ guitar solos will inspire interest again.

It worked in the 60’s, right?

Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Peal Jam have contributed tunes to the anti-war soundtrack for a documentary about a U.S. soldier paralyzed in Iraq.

The 30-song, two-disc album “Body of War: Songs That Inspired an Iraq War Veteran” will be released March 18 via Warner Music’s Sire Records label. All proceeds from the sale of the album will benefit Iraq Veterans Against the War.

And yes, the original news flash printed “Peal Jam”.

Popularity: 3% [?]