Slowly, methodically, and convincingly, Robert Greenwald (OUTFOXED: RUPERT MURDOCH'S WAR ON JOURNALISM) presents proof that George W. Bush's administration lied to the American Public, the United Nations, and the world, about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and links to terrorism. A number of respected talking heads are interviewed, including former officials of the CIA, military, and White House, and--most damagingly--Bush-appointed weapons inspector David Kay. Their conclusions reveal that the neoconservative Bush team ignored the carefully assembled reports of their intelligence agencies, while untrustworthy Iraqi "defectors" were taken at their word by both the press and the Pentagon. Unlike Michael Moore's FAHRENHEIT 911, Greenwald relies less on emotion to make his points. Rather, he lets his experts expose each lie, one by one, via crosscutting with footage of press conferences and speeches given by President Bush, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice. Whatever one's political leanings, the evidence presented here is hard to ignore, as is the awful toll the war has taken on civilians, soldiers, and the reputation of America throughout the world. This is one of a slew of political documentaries released in 2004; showing how cinema can be a powerful forum for political and social change.
