Secrets, lies and copy machines TV program

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Secrets, lies and copy machines
With James Spader as a cool, collected Daniel Ellsberg, FX's "The Pentagon
Papers" paints a chillingly familiar picture of an administration fixated on
military action in the face of serious risks.

- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Heather Havrilesky



March 8, 2003  |  "The threat to the free nations of southeast Asia has long
been clear ... In recent months, the actions of the North Vietnamese regime
have become steadily more threatening."

-- President Lyndon B. Johnson, Aug. 5, 1964

"Saddam Hussein is a threat to our nation ... I think the threat is real,
and so do a lot of other people in my government. And since I believe the
threat is real, and since my most important job is to protect the security
of the American people, that's precisely what we'll do."

-- President George W. Bush, March 6, 2003

"It's naive and even irresponsible for a grown-up today to get her or his
information about foreign policy and war and peace exclusively from the
administration in power."

-- Daniel Ellsberg, Salon, Nov. 19, 2002

With our country at the brink of war, Daniel Ellsberg's words feel more
relevant than ever. Of course, most of us are quick to count ourselves among
the responsible grown-ups, those smart enough to take the administration's
biases into account before believing its message. Still, the shock of a
sneak attack like 9/11 has the power to mess with our psychological bearings
as a nation. We'd like to believe that the administration has privileged,
damning information about the Iraqi regime, because we'd prefer to believe
that there's some way of predicting and preventing future terrorist attacks.
Otherwise, the insecurity we face on a daily basis becomes almost
intolerable. 

But, as the made-for-TV film "The Pentagon Papers" (premiering Sunday at 8
p.m. on FX) demonstrates, carefully evaluating information our leaders give
us isn't a cynical or skeptical act. Historically, American leaders have
engaged in military action even when presented with firm evidence that they
have little to gain and thousands of lives to lose. Ellsberg's experiences
drive home the fact that we have a responsibility, as citizens, to
meticulously analyze the information we're given, and to unflinchingly
confront the possibility of deception by our leaders.

The film follows Ellsberg's life from his initial work for the Rand Corp.
through his career at the Pentagon, where he watched decision-makers lead
the country into a deepening involvement in Southeast Asia, to his two years
of service in Vietnam. That was followed, of course, by his eventual
decision to copy 7,000 pages of secret documents that became known as the
Pentagon Papers and leak them to the New York Times, which made history by
publishing them, beginning in June 1971. Considering the challenges involved
in depicting the Vietnam conflict in a fresh way while dramatizing
Ellsberg's courageous act -- which mostly consisted of an extended tango
with a tireless Xerox machine -- it's impressive that the filmmakers manage
to portray Ellsberg's transformation from hawkish wonk to outspoken peace
activist and whistle-blower so stylishly and convincingly.

<snip>


http://www.salon.com/ent/tv/review/2003/03/08/pentagon/index.html

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