Lessons from The Fog of War: discussion w/ Robert McNamara

The Fog of War was a brilliant film that lacked a crucial element: a discussion of its meaning in the context of contemporary events, especially the current war in Iraq. This discussion - recorded last year at the University of California at Berkeley (and somehow overlooked) - is The Fog of War's missing link to the sad reality of America's geo-political position today. From the bombshell dropped by Robert McNamara at the beginning of the discussion to the withering attempts by Mark Danner to force McNamara into open criticism of the Bush administration, this video is extraordinarily insightful, simulataneously hopeful and fatalistic, and often heart-stoppingly intense. Robert McNamara comes across as an amazingly complex yet passionate man with an important message to be understood, debated and acted upon. For those of us who consider ourselves somewhat politically astute, this discussion is an absolute must-see.