The Fog of War - Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara

Very dramatic in depth documentary, a must see. One man who gave it his all for the good of his country. I didnt know who Robert S. McNamara really was until I saw this great film. After watching this film you will appreciate and understand this talented great man that served in the US government.

An excellent analysis and presentation of McNamara and his view of the Vietnam war and war in general.

As I stared into the black, beady eyes of an old and withered Robert Strange McNamara (yes, that's his real middle name) during the viewing of "The Fog of War", it occurred to me that perhaps no man, living or dead, has forcibly lied to himself as convincingly and consistently, (esp. with such grave reprocussions concerning the fate of mankind) as has this horrible beast.
O, undoubtedly there have been fouler birds (but certainly not many) which have spread their wings to block out the sun, but could any of them have been more convinced that they were endeavoring to do right before God and man?
One cannot help but note the bitter irony, as we listen to Bob rattle on remorselessly about his role in the fire-bombing of Tokyo at the end of WWII, which killed over 100,000 civilians, then get all choked up and teary-eyed about how he was the one to pick out the plot location for the final resting place of his goodbuddy Jack, during that fateful November of '63.
Obviously a walking dichotomy, a Type-A case study for the division of mind and spirit, ol' Bob counterdicts and implicates himself with reckless abandon over the course of this film.
A choice quote straight from his thin, bloodless lips, "Whenever I am asked a question I don't want to answer, I reply with the answer to the question I wish I was asked. This is a rule which has served me well." Woo-eee! Obviously the model for all our current political hacks.
His calloused appraisals of the unnecessary casualties suffered from his many executive blunders, and of those around him, as being a worthwhile price to pay to achieve their noble aims, is fine insight into the mind of the tyrannical warmongers which have controlled the fate of mankind since our supposed "civilization".
While listening to some of the snickering tales he recounts of the wretched General LeMay, in which McNamara makes botched attempts at infusing elements of wit and humor into the scenarios, I once again realized how out of touch with humanity our "leaders" trully are. They obviously view themselves as some sort of superior life form, which is perhaps, simply just the type of egotistical scum such positions of power inevitably attract.
Without coming straight out and saying "It was me! I am the horrible mutant to blame for these attrocities!" McNamartyr implies his guilt concerning the unforgivable fire-bombings of some 27 major Japanese cities BEFORE the bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These are details I feel gipped at never having been exposed to in American History 101. Having obliterated so much of that country's infrastructure and wiped out half of its' population, one can't help but wonder, "Were the A-bombs necessary for Japan's surrender?!" The answer of course is "Hells no!" It was simply another test of our nuclear capability, which a few crusties at the Pentagon, and their handlers, deemed necessary.
Next Bob dances like a woodland fairy around the Bay of Pigs and the Bay of Tonkin debacles, before settling for a slight bit of self-implication, while pinning ultimate resposibility on the Commanders in Chief. (Which is fair enough, but does little to cleanse his own blood-stained hands.)
I would suggest any who view this movie to go to the special features and check out all the additional footage. It really adds to the film and further exposes McNamartyr as being far from reformed, still as wily and dangerous a monster in old age as he was in youth. (One can only surmise that it was his enormous ego and craving for one last bask in the limelight which coaxed him from the shadows to devulge such a lurid tale.) The extra footage also shows how he is still covering for the "secret" world government which has us all in bondage; his tight lipped responses to a few key questions definitely prove him to be a loyalist, capable of taking their secrets to his grave. (Research the board members of the World Bank and the Council of Foreign Relations if you care to know who is really in charge. Are we to think that Bob's appointment to head the World Bank after his dismissal as Secretary of Defense, is pure coincidence? Sheesh. How stupid do we look?)
All in all, a very enlightening and thought-provoking documentary, which allows you to draw your own conclusions, while giving you enough info to discern it correctly. If you pay careful attention and can read between the lines at times, Bob does a fine job of exposing some of the behind-the-scenes developements and plot twists which show how the system operates and how we got to where we are at in current world affairs.
This film loses a star from me on account of the glaring omission concerning any discussion with ol' Bob on the subject of the vile and traiterous sinking of the USS Liberty by the Israeli military off the Sinai Peninsula June 8, 1967 during the "Six Day War" between Israel and the Arab states of Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Iraq. This attack killed 34 U.S. servicemen and wounded at least 173.
Multiple inquiries by both sides into the incident concluded that it had been simply a mistake of identity.
If you can call several hours of continuous strafing by fighter planes and a full-on assault by torpedo boats, an "accident".
Some still cling to this belief in hopes that our government is being run by hapless fools, oblivious to the reprocussions of their actions. (It sure appears that way if you yourself are oblivious to their master plan.)
But all the signs show them to be most cunning devils, devious to the enth degree, quite content to bathe in whatever amount of blood necessary to achieve their goal of world domination and enslavement.
So, I snatch back one star (If I could, but I guess they won't let you revise the star-rating) for both that omission and Mr. Morris' over-all failure to hold ol' B Mac's toes to the flame in regards to his most obvious attrocities.
Still, I would highly recommend this as a must-see film.
P.S. On a side note; didn't Rumsfeld, with all his forked-tongue deceit, seem like ol' Bob's political re-incarnation? Even down to the way he was dismissed after serving his purpose. Another part of the repetitious cycle one can find during careful scrutiny of un-propagandized accounts of history.

"Fog of War" is a little documentary that basically gives controversial former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara a platform to talk about his life and defend his actions for posterity. Although an unseen interlocutor poses a question every now and then, it can hardly be described as an interview, or even a conversation. A few damning clips are inserted by the producers, but for the most part, they give McNamara enough rope to hang himself and he does.

I watched this movie without really knowing much about McNamara except that he was the Defense Secretary during the Vietnam War. I came out of it hating him. McNamara was one of our Ivy League "Big Brains" who have been such a scourge upon this nation. He undoubtedly was intelligent, and to this day is still immensely proud of his intellectual standing and achievements, even going so far as to crow about how he was the smartest kid in his grade school class. He went on to be a statistical analyst in WWII and rose to become president of Ford Motors, where he had modernized the company and dramatically increased profits. That's where the trouble starts.

For some reason, JFK asked him to become his Defense Secretary. McNamara rightly protested that he was completely unqualified for the position but eventually succumbed to vanity and accepted, continuing to serve under LBJ after the assassination. The problem with McNamara is that while he knew the Vietnam War was unwinnable, and even told the President so, he lied to the American people and continued to implement policies he knew were simply resulting in the needless deaths of our soldiers. Whether it was a misplaced sense of loyalty to the President before the nation, or if it was because of a sordid addiction to power, McNamara betrayed the public trust and well deserves to be despised as one of the most amoral empty suits ever to hold such power in America. When asked if he felt some responsibility for the Vietnam debacle, he replied in the negative without the slightest hesitation and blamed LBJ. McNamara's career showed us that having a Big Brain doesn't mean that you also are also endowed with courage, honesty, or principles.

This is a poignant and even haunting DVD. This movie, by Erroll Morris, is based on his interviewing Robert McNamara, late in his life. Interviews are interspersed with archived material to provide punctuation. The end result is quite powerful.

The juxtaposition of the interview with historical scenes adds a considerable power to this DVD. McNamara was about 85 at the time he was interviewed. His responses to questions are measured, but there is always a sense that he is trying to grapple with his own role in historical events such as the Vietnam War. He certainly does not apologize for his actions, but there is a sense in this movie that his reflections are part of his own internal struggles over historical events.

The well discussed "lessons" raised during this movie have some value in themselves. However, they are useful in gaining a greater sense of McNamara's views and the internal debates he appears to be experiencing.

His feelings about John Kennedy's death are quite real. His eyes throughout this movie are compelling to watch.

This DVD moves quickly. The cumulative result is powerful. Whether or not one ends up feeling positively or negatively about McNamara, one does end up gaining some real insights into him and into the times in which he played such an important role.