Fascinoma

Over at PBS I'm sure they're having an orgy of self congratulation over Bush's War, the 4.5- hour retrospective on the debacle -- produced just in time to make a real difference for America. They were billing it as 'the whole story' or something like that in the ads they bought on left-leaning websites, and it had its moments. It was of course very, very damning, even though the producers didn't see fit to feature anyone who, beforehand, called the war for the fraud and atrocity it was always going to be. No, they pretty much let the sober Suits do all the talking, and even in their chastened rationalizations the whole project comes across as disastrous and ill-conceived. But not, y'know, atrocious.

The producers don't seem to have much sense that Iraqis have suffered. Maybe the Iraqi museums have been degraded, but hey, these things happen. And the producers don't seem to have been aware that thousands of people (among them Colin Powell) had predicted, as far back as the first Iraq war, that if we invaded Iraq what would happen is just what has happened. No, we get the sense from Frontline that "Nobody could have predicted...."

They also didn't seem aware of the way sensible people, in the runup and since, have been marginalized, villified, fired ,et cetera, according to the best Rovian principles. Nor do they give the slightest sense that a key reason for the war was Rove's sense that its fog would hide the blemishes on the Junta, and help the War President keep absolute power and impunity. Also that it would enrich Republican contributors beyond their wildest dreams, and provide employ for lots and lots of College Republicans with no qualifications whatsoever. No, Frontline lets the booboisie go on believing that it was all done with good intentions, even if the execution was rather inept.

And of course we get no sense whatsoever of the depraved indifference all these Bushite deviants have to the death, suffering, injustice and perversion they have unleashed.

Oh well, Frontline says, in essence, no need to get upset. The Suits are sort of sorry -- and they'll get it right next time. Excellent news.