Enjoyed most of the movie but did not appreciate the neocon propaganda peppered throughout!

Rating: 7/10 (9 October 2015)

Think what you want of Saddam (I think of him as a traitor to his people) but the fact is he was a paid CIA employee dating back to 1959 (probably earlier), when he was part of a CIA-authorized six-man squad tasked with assassinating then Iraqi Prime Minister Gen Abd al-Karim Qasim (who was an asshole as well but he was our asshole until he made a fatal mistake and he in CIA terms had to go). The first attempt failed but eventually in February 1963 Qasim was killed in a Baath Party coup which was followed by an orgy of bloodshed. The leftists were all murdered and the lists of those to be killed were supplied by the CIA! Saddam eventually became dictator of Iraq and we played him like an instrument. George Bush Sr. needed to look strong so April Glaspie, (our Ambassador to Iraq) when approached by Saddam regarding Kuwait invited him to invade Kuwait by stating the following: "We have no opinion on your Arab-Arab conflicts, such as your dispute with Kuwait. Secretary Baker has directed me to emphasize the instruction, first given to Iraq in the 1960s, that the Kuwait issue is not associated with America." We were setting him up to make Bush Sr. look like a strong leader. Anyone who spent the least amount of time reading between the lines knew this at the time, yet a horrible slaughter ensued that was so freaking unnecessary, but hey "money trumps peace" (quote from George Bush Jr.), in reality actually it's really more than just money! Okay enough of my rant to sum it up I loved the movie but cringed at the unnecessary propaganda that conveniently predated the release of the PNAC position paper! The performances were magnificent especially Jeff and John. I encourage everyone to watch it but be aware it's really a propaganda piece designed to get you ready for the next Iraq war! But I must say despite my misgivings I will always cherish this film and will remember it fondly in particular the performances by Jeff and John!