'Uncovered: The War on Iraq'
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Ray McGovern, a 27-year CIA analyst, says, "When the emperor has no clothes, you have to have the presence of mind and the courage to stand up and say the emperor has no clothes." And in "Uncovered: The War on Iraq," at the Harris Theater, filmmaker Robert Greenwald makes a sobering case that the emperor has no clothes.
'Uncovered: The War on Iraq'
Rating: Unrated but PG-13 in nature because of disturbing war images.
Director: Robert Greenwald.
Or, in this instance, no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, no ties between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida, and no legitimate reason for attack. President Bush took a state on the verge of failure and turned it into a failed state, and "failed states cause terrorism," cautions Robert Baer, another CIA veteran.
Greenwald's argument is as one-sided as Michael Moore's in "Fahrenheit 9/11" (and a similar failing) but the tone and approach are wildly different. It's a series of news clips and talking heads. No songs by the Go-Gos, no flashy editing or Congressional confrontations about children in the military.
The passion may be deep but the tone is civil, even when former Nixon insider John Dean talks about a leak that named a covert CIA officer. "I've never seen a dirty trick that could be a hit." Revealing the woman's identity put her life in jeopardy; her husband is Joseph Wilson, who debunked White House claims about Niger uranium and is featured prominently here.
Through a long list of experts and old and recent news footage, Greenwald punches holes -- big enough to drive a Bradley fighting vehicle through -- in arguments behind the war. The administration takes its lumps, but so do sloppy journalists.
Greenwald, whose body of work ranges from "The Burning Bed" with Farrah Fawcett to "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism," released a shorter version of "Uncovered" on DVD in December. He later added another half-hour of footage, including an interview with the persuasive David Kay, who led the search for chemical, biological and nuclear weapons in Iraq last year.
Whether you think Greenwald is a patriot or a patsy, one of the movie's most salient points comes in a Mark Twain quote: "Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it." Well put.
First Published October 1, 2004 12:00 am
