Excellent and insightful

Rating: 10/10 (27 May 2017)

This film revealed how the media, politics and politicians make it difficult for our military to win wars.
Obama, like Lyndon Johnson before him, was a micromanager. Both put insurmountable limitations above all else. All they cared about was perception. The military fights wars to win not to be politically correct. Political correctness should stay out of war or don't fight them.
In the movie Obama gave the enemy the Taliban the news they would pull out at the end of the surge. That was a cluster f**k. In reality his administration did that often. You can't win a war if you give the enemy your plans and Obama would do that time after time.
The character McMahon was well portrayed by Brad Pitt. McMahon was a warrior not a politician. His was a no win situation thanks to the Obama administration. The administration just wanted to pull out they never intended to win the war.
Westmoreland must've felt the same as McMahon when in Vietnam. Both McMahon and Westmoreland lost because the media and politicians were convinced the war was unwinnable. Thus making the war a three front war, the enemy on one front, the media in another front and the politicians being the third front. No general can win with those odds.
The character portrayed by Tilda Swinton was annoying and stupid. Her speech was just more political dribble best saved for her constituents certainly not for a military planning meeting.