No End in Sight

B+

This is a pretty good documentary about the Bush administration's mismanagement of the occupation of Iraq. It does not focus on the build-up to the war, just on how the insurgency got out of control. Made during the peak of violence, it can't help but ignore that things got a lot better just after the film's completion. As such, that makes it feel very incomplete. Well, that and that it is very one-sided. Not entirely the fault of the filmmakers, none of the most important Bush officials participated in interviews. About the highest ranking person is Jay Garner who was in charge of rebuilding for a few months after the invasion and was quickly replaced by Paul Bremer, who, like Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Rice, and Powell, refused to be interviewed.

They talk to a number of smaller players who were pushed out of the way and so have an axe to grind with the administration. That doesn't mean these people aren't telling the truth, but we're not getting the other viewpoint either. One thing I have heard over and over again is that the Bush administration put people fresh out of college into key rebuilding roles. If that is so, where are those people? I would like to hear from them; certainly not all of them would refuse interviews. Obama foreign policy advisor Samantha Power is interviewed, but honestly she didn't add anything, except things like "it was as if . . ." which are meaningless.

This is a good documentary that lays out many of the mistakes made, but it is very incomplete by itself. Though doubtful, maybe someday the key players will sit down and talk about what happened, but it will have to wait until they go on tours promoting their books. Until then, much of the details will be veiled in secrecy.

B+

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