"Frontline" presents a masterful draft of History

Ah, history. PBS gave us all a hearty taste of it over the last two nights (viewable in its entirety online). "Bush's War" is a two-part documentary that is absolutely chilling. It represents a singular achievement that is the best journalism I've seen in any medium in years and years. There are so many worthy take-aways (Condi Rice had no experience, Tommy Franks smokes two packs a day in between drinking 15 cups of coffee, Donald Rumsfeld is utterly evil, Richardo Sanchez was the most junior Three-Star General in the Army when he got promoted to run the whole show, yada yada yada). But seeing Jerry Bremer seethe and stumble through his answers to the toughest questions is just plain stunning insight. This is the story of a generation. Of nincompoops. I've been a fan of the long form style of "Frontline" for years. But they have never been better or more relevant. Watch it. Tell everyone you know about it. You're welcome.

Oh, and the most entertaining found video clip of the new Millenium. Watch this, as well. For entirely different reasons.



Hope your own Peabody Award is also inevitably in the offing today. Rock on.

Anniversary, saddamiversary - let's call the whole thing off.

Every time our lethargic nation chooses to pay attention to Iraq, we're told to believe that a turning point is at hand. The 5th Anniversary of the invasion and the bleak milestone of 4000 dead American soldiers are only the most recent examples of trying to change the flavor of the moment with a turn or two of phrase. But in trying to recollect a now cloudy thought of my own just a few moments ago - the argument that the invasion needed to happen in March before the weather turned decidedly toward summer and the temperatures escalated for our troops in their chemical suits - I came across a lost gem. Via the White House website, no less. If you love punishing post mortems, I highly recommend a quick read. If you want the nugget and can do without the waste, Condi Rice falsely argued in late January of 2003 that the Prezidunt had the justification to do the U.N.'s bidding and forcefully disarm Saddam. She closed by saying that Iraq should know that "time is running out." Yet, here we are, over 5 years later, being told to expect that troop levels through the end of Dubya's reign will remain basically the same. While the fractured Mahdi Army and associated Shiite allies conduct an obvious offensive. As the weather heats up. And basic services are at a worse level than before the invasion. And our nation looks at the daily drumbeat of bad economic newsiness with a sense of not knowing what's next. Hell, even Seattle is finally seeing a depreciation of housing valuation for the first time since 1991. I hate to get all canary in the coalmine about this whole fandango. But wake up, America. Today may not be a Tet Offensive. But the stretched parallels to that sleepy late January lunar New Year are awkwardly hard to deny, at best. Scary as hell, at worst.

Hope your own discovered past speeches only feature lame Beavis and Butthead jokes today. Rock on.

Which is harder to fully grasp - the cynical politics of the Bushies or a 100-gallon tank full of bathtub toys?

For those Dems that were worried that their newfound power wouldn't be used to stick enough fingers in the eyes of Bushies, you got a doublepoke today. The House Oversight Committee approved a subpoena for Condi "I'm sort of still here" Rice to chat about, oh ya know, lying our way into the War in Iraq. And the House Judiciary Committee granted immunity to Monica "I'm supposedly long gone" Goodling and also chose to subpoena her to testify about her role in the firing of the 8 U.S. Attorneys. This comes on the heels of the announced investigation into Karl "I don't work for you" Rove and his political operation within the White House that might be in violation of the Hatch Act. Not to mention the undeniably compelling testimony yesterday by Kevin Tillman and Jessica Lynch about the Pentagon's cynical manipulation of real suffering by our military. You can't swing a lame duck without skidding though a new mess left by those unlovable loyal Bushies. This is what a gathering storm looks like. Like it or not.

Two quickie Beantown reviews - the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) is a newish, coolish building with a relatively small amount of gallery space. I imagine the theatre is pretty impressive for the sorts of dance/film/kitten juggling events I see on the upcoming calendar. Go for the architecture and bring a sandwich to enjoy out back looking toward the harbor. But if you're going for a punch in the gut mix of contemporary art, expect to be somewhat disappointed. My rating - an overly critical C-plus. If you've got kids, the even newer Boston Children's Museum is a neccessary stop along the same area of waterfront. When we went this morning, Maya was melting down like Chernobyl before we even got inside. She nonetheless quickly got fired up by all the hands-on diversity. Then she got herself soaked to the gills by the "Boats Afloat" room. So I'd suggest all other parents plan better than we did and bring along a change of clothes for probably the whole famn damily. No matter - we'll be back. My rating - an incomplete but strong B-plus, since we didn't get to see everything.

Hope your own style is matched by equal parts substance today. Rock on.