tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post115793283216144707..comments2024-03-28T15:35:21.498-05:00Comments on Althouse: "The Path to 9/11."Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157997535211856362006-09-11T12:58:00.000-05:002006-09-11T12:58:00.000-05:00I especially hate the scenes where characters walk...<I>I especially hate the scenes where characters walk quickly through hallways with the camera shaking and swinging about so we'll sense the urgency. Sometimes the camera is taken in and out of focus to try to make it seem like a documentary filmed on the fly.</I><BR/><BR/>Christ on a bicycle, I hate that, too. All I want to do when filmmakers use that technique is shout "Hold the f***ing camera steady!!!"Anthonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05973774692416760687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157989021973316562006-09-11T10:37:00.000-05:002006-09-11T10:37:00.000-05:00I think the single line that sums up the show for ...I think the single line that sums up the show for me (forgive me, without tivo or taping it, this is from memory)<BR/><BR/>"WTF!"(they didn't say this, but it encapsulates the emotion of the speaker) "The guy declares war on us and we're worried about accidentally whacking him?"<BR/><BR/>That is the most damning htread running through the showThe Drill SGThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16394309533144027391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157976905628611102006-09-11T07:15:00.000-05:002006-09-11T07:15:00.000-05:00It just isnt very good tv. Boring, full of ABC he...It just isnt very good tv. Boring, full of ABC hero worship (you notice that ABC reporters get lots of positive plugs?)<BR/><BR/>Overall, nothing particurly new for anyone who tracked things - politicians basically had more important things to take care of.David A. Carlsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00465387359523299616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157957638298324622006-09-11T01:53:00.000-05:002006-09-11T01:53:00.000-05:00Correction: the second collected volume is the Afg...Correction: the second collected volume is the Afghanistan arc.Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16774002797359859550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157957341499085092006-09-11T01:49:00.000-05:002006-09-11T01:49:00.000-05:00Peter.You win my undying affection for the best li...Peter.<BR/><BR/>You win my undying affection for the best line of all the threads:<BR/><BR/><I>Trouble is, the Repubs started fighting on 9/12. The Donks didn't start fighting until this film.</I><BR/><BR/>I'm recommending it to our local House Represemtative.Brenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014633569084189098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157956909245316192006-09-11T01:41:00.001-05:002006-09-11T01:41:00.001-05:00Saw it . . .The ONE thing above all else that the ...Saw it . . .<BR/><BR/>The <B>ONE</B> thing above all else that the "Path to 9/11" <B>DOES</B> say about the Clinton Admin was what was already known:<BR/><BR/>it was Poll-Driven, Public-Relations-Worshipping Governance. And the nation is still poorer today for it.<BR/>(Please spare us any comments with the current Admin being the same, as they obviously are very poor at P/R).<BR/><BR/>We had a politically liberal friend over to watch with us (the Mrs. and I are conservative). He was well aware of the controversy - and he came to the same conclusions as we did (see first paragraph above).<BR/><BR/>I'm certain that tomorrow night will show the Bushies in a not-so-nice light. Looking forward to it.<BR/><BR/><B>Update:</B> the local ABC affiliate Eyewitness News interviewed Los Angeles locals as to their thoughts><BR/>My favorite: a poised, well-dressed Bev Hills middle-ager that was "astonished at how ABC could, with it's free airwave usage, tell so many lies about the Clinton administration, (here is the best part) especially just before the Democrats take back the House". I wonder if she has an exact lie count, or is just estimating?<BR/><BR/>So, several of the previous Althouse posters were <B>RIGHT!</B> The Dems are only really concerned about "the Path to 9/11" being shown at all because they were planning on the motto <B>"let's go back to the terrorist containment success of the Clinton years"</B> to persuade people to vote a change. <BR/><BR/>I wonder if someone can get me that interviewee's number. I would like to give her a reality call:" Hello Sweetheart. Usama BL and Co. and the firm of Islamofascism LLC won't spare you and your family just because you quote the latest faxed Demo talking points. Unless it is to first rape you, THEN they will happily kill you. Best of luck with your search for a set of Democratic politicians that can figure out how to keep that from happening at the same time that they are looking for their moral backbones.<BR/><BR/>Bonus: had 60 Minutes on just before. Andy Rooney wants us to spend a little time figuring out how we can make other nations stop being so mad and wanting to kill us. <BR/><BR/>I wonder if someone can get me Andy's number.Brenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014633569084189098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157956888789279762006-09-11T01:41:00.000-05:002006-09-11T01:41:00.000-05:00Freeman, aren't there two levels of comparison? If...Freeman, aren't there two levels of comparison? If it holds up in terms of production values and performances to other such works, then it's certainly fair to praise it according to those criteria. I'm comparing it to the claims it made to be based on the 9/11 commission report and it comes up short there if its events are as they've been described by some who've viewd it. There's nothing wrong with critiquing its falsely portraying events and conversations if those portrayals do more than just conflate things for efficiency or dramatic weight, or if the dramatic effect gained is outweighed by the cost to truthfulness.<BR/><BR/>Since this seems like a group open to entertaining, fictionalized history, let me recommend a really good bit, Greg Rucka's comic series, "Queen and Country." We should be reminded that our conflict didn't start with 9/11, I agree. This series follows a fictional British special operations team in its anti-terrorist missions. In a prescient bit of storytelling, the comic debuted months before 9/11 with an initial mission into Afghanistan. If you like graphic storytelling, this one's worth a look. The first collection is "Broken Ground," and the comic's put out by Oni Press.Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16774002797359859550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157955091255529672006-09-11T01:11:00.000-05:002006-09-11T01:11:00.000-05:00It's finally over here on the West Coast, and thes...It's finally over here on the West Coast, and these things strike me,<BR/><BR/>(1) Compared to Wright's "The Looming Tower", FBI agent O'Neill is a much more compelling character in the movie. Wright was obsessed, to an almost "People Magazine" degree, with O'Neill's rather complicated personal life, virtually ignored in this film. That's good, because the 'girlfriend in every port' jazz was distracting to the book's narrative, in my view.<BR/><BR/>(2) One of "Looming's" largest points, IMHO, was the "wall" between intelligence agencies, exacerbated by a Clinton-era Justice Department action ("Rule 6E", p. 342). I wouldn't be surprised if the FBI and CIA didn't ever want to cooperate anyway, but this seemed to make information sharing even more unlikely or awkward. I didn't (yet) get the impression from the movie that had the government's various arms had risen above petty rivalries and not been shackled by myopic if well-intentioned rules that 9/11 could have been prevented, or at least deflected. As ot stands, I see this is as a deficiency of the movie.<BR/><BR/>(3) Unless they succeeded in forcing significant changes to what was aired tonight, the Dem's drama-queen theatrics were just sound and fury, signifying nothing. Of course, there's still tomorrow's episode, but as the movie ended, they're already in 2001.<BR/><BR/>I didn't expect to be entertained (and I wasn't, just as I didn't expect to be entertained by "United 93"). The movie improved as it went along. Maybe I got used to the choppy editing and gratuitous extreme close-up shots.Robert Fovellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04642428934975211347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157951464442931732006-09-11T00:11:00.000-05:002006-09-11T00:11:00.000-05:00All of you slamming this program, what are you com...All of you slamming this program, what are you comparing it to? A regular movie? Television is generally wretched--that's why I hardly ever watch it. This is far better than the norm on TV. I enjoyed it.Freeman Hunthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16202310075717963694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157950988957460312006-09-11T00:03:00.000-05:002006-09-11T00:03:00.000-05:00I watched the whole thing, thank the Lord for the ...I watched the whole thing, thank the Lord for the ability to pause the program.<BR/> The Donks should have kept quiet. Everyone, Dem and Repub screwed the pooch on the lead up to 9/11. We all knew that. Trouble is, the Repubs started fighting on 9/12. The Donks didn't start fighting until this film.<BR/> I would feel safe with the Donks running things if it were ABC and Joe Leibermann trying to kill my grandchildren.Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01328124105257667842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157950336266846482006-09-10T23:52:00.000-05:002006-09-10T23:52:00.000-05:00Hmm - sat down with roommates and watched it (miss...Hmm - sat down with roommates and watched it (missed first 40 mins or so). I think the sensationalist editing is unavoidable, with shows like 24, the producers just can't shut off that sledgehammer-the-audience instinct.<BR/><BR/>The show isn't damning because of Sandy Berger being unwilling to pull the trigger on the bin Laden snatch, or Albright tipping-off Pakistan about the cruise-missile strikes, but because previous acts of terrorism were mentioned. Embassy bombings, 1993 WTC, Cole, the airlines - and we are reminded that Islamic fundamentalists have wanted to kill Americans since before Bush, before Iraq. <BR/><BR/>Even if they had edited out all the blown chances to get bin Laden, it's damning because it seeks to illustrate the War on Terror. Issues like domestic spying, torture, extradiction, civilian casualties, are shown to be relevant questions.<BR/><BR/>(And how about the really choppy editing of the deleted scenes - it's almost like ABC was trying to let viewers know something was up.)altoids1306https://www.blogger.com/profile/01513456215095176970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157947463954815722006-09-10T23:04:00.000-05:002006-09-10T23:04:00.000-05:00We just watched the entire thing ... I feel ill. T...We just watched the entire thing ... I feel ill. That cigar didn't help, either.<BR/><BR/>Somehow, I'm going to make it through the second edition tomorrow night.paul a'bargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08854004347728185047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157947337450320342006-09-10T23:02:00.000-05:002006-09-10T23:02:00.000-05:00"Swarthy skin = ViolenceGot that?"I'd say there we...<EM>"Swarthy skin = Violence<BR/>Got that?"</EM><BR/><BR/>I'd say there were just under 3000 people dead on 9/11 who "got that."<BR/><BR/>If that offends you, hit Google and take a look at the pictures of the perpetrators of 9/11.<BR/><BR/>Oh. How inconvenient. Swarthy all of them.<BR/><BR/>How's that denial working out for you?paul a'bargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08854004347728185047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157945752813408102006-09-10T22:35:00.001-05:002006-09-10T22:35:00.001-05:00I should just set up a post and let you guys simul...I should just set up a post and let you guys simulblog in the comments. I'm not good at following dramas like this. Too much camerawork. And too much muttered dialogue that is full of information that you're supposed to put together. It's irritating. And yet it's not as though I want to be entertained.Ann Althousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157945746328583492006-09-10T22:35:00.000-05:002006-09-10T22:35:00.000-05:00I thought it was very "Traffic" like in it's filmi...I thought it was very "Traffic" like in it's filmingThe Drill SGThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16394309533144027391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157945638379222692006-09-10T22:33:00.001-05:002006-09-10T22:33:00.001-05:00I'm 25 min into the movie here on the West Coast. ...I'm 25 min into the movie here on the West Coast. IMHO, this is a poorly made production. The frenetically moving camera is irritating, and the show already has a full "spaghetti western's" worth of gratuitous extreme close-ups.Robert Fovellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04642428934975211347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157945624982506362006-09-10T22:33:00.000-05:002006-09-10T22:33:00.000-05:00i keep telling you all that it's only tangentially...i keep telling you all that it's only tangentially about the Clinton legacy. <BR/><BR/>It also threatens the DNC forward message on terrorism. (you know the Kerry campaign message... and the Howard Dean: Osama is presumed innocent, but I know Rove is guilty as sin...)<BR/><BR/>- it can be managed<BR/>- ignore the Osama Fatwa.... that didnt happen...<BR/>- they only are mad because we are in ______<BR/>- if we withdraw, they'll stop<BR/>- its a criminal Justice thing<BR/>- we have all the tools we need, without that nasty Patriot act, to handle the bad guys<BR/>- just get a warrant, its easy....<BR/>- trust us, and we'll go back to the good old days before 911, and before cowboy Bush shooting the place up. They liked us better then....<BR/>- don't worry about mid eastern men on airplanes... search the Nun to be fairThe Drill SGThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16394309533144027391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157945157631473382006-09-10T22:25:00.000-05:002006-09-10T22:25:00.000-05:00Madison Man: Ditto the kudos to our stalwart blog...Madison Man: Ditto the kudos to our stalwart blog hostess! Thanks for the cyber-place to opine.Ruth Anne Adamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01936054116421006847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157944953095914662006-09-10T22:22:00.000-05:002006-09-10T22:22:00.000-05:00It's a good question. Having not seen it yet (I'm...It's a good question. Having not seen it yet (I'm in California and not even near a TV), I'm figuring the Democratic reaction has taken Disney by surprise. I think Disney/ABC thought they were covered by the 9/11 Commission report and other accounts of the period that are implicitly critical of the Clinton Administration. The Clinton people have not until now so forcefully denied the pertinent allegations. Obviously they are upset now because they think a TV show carries more weight in the polls than a dry report or a book that only 100,000 people read.John Stodderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14185881995621265497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157944884366713302006-09-10T22:21:00.000-05:002006-09-10T22:21:00.000-05:00Oh well, as Mark Levin would say, Clinton happens....<I>Oh well, as Mark Levin would say, Clinton happens.</I><BR/><BR/>Or as Don Rumsfeld says, stuff happens.<BR/><BR/>I'll be curious to read the ratings on this -- what reads to be -- schlock. I didn't watch it myself -- I don't watch TV and I was busy tonight getting ready for class on Tuesday. Kudos to Ann for stomaching it -- first Katie Couric, now this! I gotta wonder when she's gonna get mad as hell and not take it anymore!MadisonManhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01212179466758420208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157943797886391332006-09-10T22:03:00.000-05:002006-09-10T22:03:00.000-05:00Ruth Ann:The Cole was bombed in the spring of 2000...Ruth Ann:<BR/>The Cole was bombed in the spring of 2000 (I think) so perhaps it will be part of tomorow's night show. <BR/><BR/>Clinton promised to track those terorist down and planned to do that on his last day in office. But then he had to pardon Mark Rich. Oh well, as Mark Levin would say, Clinton happens.I'm Full of Souphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00241724007440718575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157943592133021182006-09-10T21:59:00.000-05:002006-09-10T21:59:00.000-05:00The show hasn't started here on the left coast, so...The show hasn't started here on the left coast, so I appreciate the comments here. <BR/><BR/>Maybe it's just me, or maybe I'm missing something obvious but a question keeps coming to mind: *Why?* Why did ABC produce and air something that POs the Dems so much? <BR/><BR/>Let's face it, a big part of this story is man bites dog: One of the big three MSM broadcast entities purposefully showing something that causes such a ruckus on the left side of the aisle is alien to our experience. <BR/><BR/>I'm curious about the motivations, process, and goals of those responsible for this program being aired.F15Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05981720924096981818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157943244328876942006-09-10T21:54:00.000-05:002006-09-10T21:54:00.000-05:00Did I blink and miss the coverage of the USS Cole ...Did I blink and miss the coverage of the USS Cole bombing? What happened with that?Ruth Anne Adamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01936054116421006847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157943184832835972006-09-10T21:53:00.000-05:002006-09-10T21:53:00.000-05:00Made me, even.Made me, even.tiggerilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03346441135198849332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1157943116298985672006-09-10T21:51:00.000-05:002006-09-10T21:51:00.000-05:00Sipp- I'd have to say, even Manning would be prefe...Sipp- I'd have to say, even Manning would be preferable to the Theismann-Buck combo that made my want to put an axe through the TV last year.tiggerilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03346441135198849332noreply@blogger.com