June 20 Frontline: "The Dark Side" covering Cheney's role in the War on Terror

[Ladewig]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/darkside/

Amid daily revelations about prewar intelligence and a growing scandal surrounding the indictment of the vice president's chief of staff and presidential adviser, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, FRONTLINE goes behind the headlines to investigate the internal war that was waged between the intelligence community and Richard Bruce Cheney, the most powerful vice president in the nation's history.

"A lot of what needs to be done here will have to be done quietly, without any discussion, using sources and methods that are available to our intelligence agencies," Cheney told Americans just after 9/11. He warned the public that the government would have to operate on the "dark side."

In The Dark Side, airing June 20, 2006, at 9 P.M. on PBS (check local listings), FRONTLINE tells the story of the vice president's role as the chief architect of the war on terror and his battle with Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet for control of the "dark side." Drawing on more than 40 interviews and thousands of documents, the film provides a step-by-step examination of what happened inside the councils of war.

Early in the Bush administration, Cheney placed a group of allies throughout the government who advocated a robust and pre-emptive foreign policy, especially regarding Iraq. But a potential obstacle was Tenet, a holdover from the Clinton administration who had survived the transition by bypassing Cheney and creating a personal bond with the president.

[more]

Is this a re-run?

[Charlie Monoxide]

No Tuesday is complete without watching Frontline ....

Charlie (hail Cheney, president of "vice") Monoxide

[New Ager]

Considering PBS is a liberal network in America, I"m sure they will do a coughcough fair portrayal of Cheney.

[fishbob]

Considering PBS is a liberal network in America, I"m sure they will do a coughcough fair portrayal of Cheney.
Frontline does a pretty thorough job of fact finding.
The coughcough completely fair right wing portrayal of PBS as liberal is irrelevant.

[davefoc]

Frontline does a pretty thorough job of fact finding.
The coughcough completely fair right wing portrayal of PBS as liberal is irrelevant.

I tend to agree.

Could we get some examples of this left wing bias, New Ager?

[Hutch]

Watched most of this program last night.

The focus seems to have been on how the CIA managed to get shuffled to the sidelines on the War on Terror by Cheney, Rumsfeld and the Pentagon with Tennant (CIA Director) and Colin Powell 'taking one for the team' and being shuffled out of power despite their misgivings over the evidence for the War in Iraq.

Probably will get called all sorts of names by the Repubs and the talking heads, but the words will be 'one-sided', 'inaccurate', 'left-leaning' , and the sort--but not 'lying' 'slander' or untruthful' (except for Coulter or Savage, who will say whatever comes into their tiny brainpans anyway)

Worth watching if you missed it, IMHO.

[Charlie Monoxide]

I tend to agree.

Could we get some examples of this left wing bias, New Ager?I watched the Frontline show as well. It seems to me they got (scathing) interviews from most of the main players on the intelligence side. They all voiced the same opinion that the intelligence provided to the Bush leadership was accurate (ie no WMDs and no AlQuaida link) and Cheney/Rumsfeld created their own "intelligence" office and "created" the WMD/AlQuaida Iraqi invasion justification.

Since 2000, I've grown to dislike George W, but after seeing this show I have pity for the poor dupe....

Charlie (spending Cheney dollars) Monoxide

[Bikewer]

I didn't watch, but it appears yet another confirmation of the ideas Sy Hersh put forth in "chain of command" a few years ago.

Hersh went into some detail on the creation of the "office of special projects", the role of the various neo-cons in formulating policy, and the tendency to ignore well-vetted intelligence from standard sources in favor of stuff that told them what they wanted to hear.

[pgwenthold]

I watched the Frontline show as well. It seems to me they got (scathing) interviews from most of the main players on the intelligence side. They all voiced the same opinion that the intelligence provided to the Bush leadership was accurate (ie no WMDs and no AlQuaida link) and Cheney/Rumsfeld created their own "intelligence" office and "created" the WMD/AlQuaida Iraqi invasion justification.

Since 2000, I've grown to dislike George W, but after seeing this show I have pity for the poor dupe....


Actually, they portrayed Tenet as the biggest culprit in the matter. CIA analysts were claiming they were all saying it wasn't so, but it was Tenet who pushed it.

At one point, it is even claimed that Bush questioned the case based on the evidence, but Tenet assured him it was a "slam dunk."

In terms of "bias," they did have a guy from the vice presidents intelligence department there who kept parroting the lines about how the connections between Iraq and al Queda were real, and we have a source from the INC (Iraqi National Congress?) that has confirmed it. Meanwhile, when they would interview the CIA guys, they would all say, we knew the INC guy wasn't reliable.

OTOH, despite their attempts to act as if they knew all along, if you looked closely, you realize that the CIA analysts went right along with it. Yeah, they claim there was indirect pressure (with the VP making regular visits to the CIA to talk with analysts), but they kowtowed.

[varwoche]

Actually, they portrayed Tenet as the biggest culprit in the matter. On the WMDs, but not on the Saddam + Al Qaeda matter.

[pgwenthold]

On the WMDs, but not on the Saddam + Al Qaeda matter.

That is correct.

[Charlie Monoxide]

Actually, they portrayed Tenet as the biggest culprit in the matter. CIA analysts were claiming they were all saying it wasn't so, but it was Tenet who pushed it.

At one point, it is even claimed that Bush questioned the case based on the evidence, but Tenet assured him it was a "slam dunk."

In terms of "bias," they did have a guy from the vice presidents intelligence department there who kept parroting the lines about how the connections between Iraq and al Queda were real, and we have a source from the INC (Iraqi National Congress?) that has confirmed it. Meanwhile, when they would interview the CIA guys, they would all say, we knew the INC guy wasn't reliable.

OTOH, despite their attempts to act as if they knew all along, if you looked closely, you realize that the CIA analysts went right along with it. Yeah, they claim there was indirect pressure (with the VP making regular visits to the CIA to talk with analysts), but they kowtowed.To me the biggest shocker was the fact that the speech that Colin Powell gave at the UN came the Cheney's newly created office. Does it make sense that the Vice President should be the one providing the speech for Powell, who I'm sure has his own staff for speech writing and other mundane tasks? Is there any history of Vice Presidents playing such a major role, especially affecting a Secratary of State? It was also stated that Powell insisted that Tenent be seated squarely behind him, when he gave the speech at the UN.

As the Frontline show evolved, it seemed to me that George Tenent certainly drank deep and long from the "jug of koolaid". A couple of his ex-workers voiced the similar sentiments.

I'm still wondering why exactly Cheney/Rumsfeld and the other neocons felt this pressing need to invade Iraq. Was it out of a true belief that a tinpot dictator in the Middle East was a major threat to the "American way of life", and being "patriotic" Americans, they are duty-bound to protect the US, or part of a plan that rewarded their corporate minions (as well as themselves)?

I can't fathom the justification of all those dead and wounded Americans, as well as the effect on their families and friends for this stupid pre-destined war.

Charlie (clueless about the leadership) Monoxide

[Regnad Kcin]

Could we get some examples of this left wing bias, New Ager?You'll sooner get lime-flavored milk out of a cow you could also ride to Alpha Centauri than getting anything out of New Ager that isn't right-wing wacko babbling.