Some of us think THIS shouldn't have happened: ...
Nero FIDDLED
Clinton BLEW
Posted on 09/10/2006 9:36:29 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
NEW YORK - ABC aired its miniseries "The Path to 9/11" on Sunday but made editing changes after former Clinton administration officials complained it contained fabricated scenes about their actions prior to the terrorist attacks.
ABC's editing of the five-hour movie, airing on two successive nights starting Sunday, was evident from the very beginning. Twice, the network de-emphasized the role of the 9/11 commission's final report as source material for the film.
The version that aired Sunday also changed a scene that, in a copy of the movie given to television critics a few weeks ago, indicated President Clinton's preoccupation with his potential impeachment may have affected an effort to go after Osama bin Laden.
In the original scene, an actor portraying White House terrorism czar Richard Clarke shares a limousine ride with FBI agent John O'Neill and tells him: "The Republicans are going all-out for impeachment. I just don't see in that climate the president's going to take chances" and give the order to kill bin Laden.
But in the film aired Sunday, Clarke says to O'Neill: "The president has assured me this ... won't affect his decision-making."
O'Neill replies: "So it's OK if somebody kills bin Laden, as long as he didn't give the order. It's pathetic."
The critics' version contained a note in the opening scenes that the film is "based on the 9/11 commission report." That was omitted from the film aired Sunday. A disclaimer aired three times emphasized it was not a documentary.
"For dramatic and narrative purposes the movie contains fictionalized scenes, composite and representative characters and dialogue, as well as time compression," the note that ran before the movie said.
The note said the material is "drawn from a variety of sources including the 9/11 commission report and other published materials and from personal interviews." That differs from a note in the critics' version that said the dramatization "is based on the 9/11 commission report and other published sources and personal interviews."
Critics, such as historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr., said it was "disingenuous and dangerous" not to include accurate historical accounts in the movie.
A scene in the movie depicting a team of CIA operatives poised in darkness outside of bin Laden's fortess in Afghanistan, ready to attack, was substantially cut down from the original. Pictures of the waiting Afghanistan operatives are interspersed with those of officials in Washington, who had to approve the mission.
The original version depicted national security adviser Samuel R. Berger hanging up on CIA chief George Tenet as Tenet sought permission to attack bin Laden. The movie aired Sunday did not include Berger hanging up.
The affect of the changes is to deflect specific blame. It ends with actor Donnie Wahlberg, head of the CIA team in Afghanistan, saying, "Are there no men in Washington?"
Another scene in the critics' cut pictured O'Neill asking Clarke on the telephone: "What's Clinton going to do (about bin Laden)?"
Clarke replies, "I don't know. The Lewinsky thing is a noose around his neck."
This was cut entirely from the film that aired Sunday.
Editors left intact a scene that had angered former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, portraying her as being behind a move to inform the Pakistani government in advance of a U.S. missile strike against bin Laden. The movie indicated that was a key factor in bin Laden getting away.
The movie, scheduled to air from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., finished at 10:40 p.m. ET.
ABC has said little about the controversy, and said Sunday it would not comment.
Thomas Kean, head of the commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks and a backer of the film, said on ABC's "This Week" Sunday that he hadn't seen the final cut of the movie but urged Americans to watch it.
"If people blame Bill Clinton after seeing this, then the miniseries has failed," said Kean, the former Republican New Jersey governor. "That's wrong and it shouldn't happen."
John Lehman, another Republican commission members, said on the ABC News show that he's told the film is equally harsh on the administrations of President Bush and his father, former President George H.W. Bush.
"And if you don't like the hits to the Clinton administration, well, welcome to the club," Lehman said. "The Republicans have lived with Michael Moore and Oliver Stone and most of Hollywood as a fact of life."
___
AP Television Writer Frazier Moore contributed to this report.
Yes that's true too.
According to WHO? To me, they look like a joke.
They sent their minions out [including the Democrat Senators] out to threaten ABC with its licensing rights.....and still the clintons came off looking like inept "rulers". ABC showed years of "actionable intelligence" tonight, which the clinton administration ignored. OUCH.
Now they've shaken down the whole party to go over the cliff, just to protect their legacy.
I can't see this as a win for clinton.
For example, I am already wondering if the USS COLE bombing in October, 2000, is going to be omitted?
Tonight's segment seems to leap back to AA #11, which would skip right over the Cole by 11 months.
Thanks.
In Albrights case, that's unavoidable
Of cove=or coverup
.. it breaks the barrier of going after the corrupt Democrats of the 90's and up to this day.
It shouts for more films to include the fraud of the 911 Commission.
BumP more films on the 9/11 commission..
One on the Gorelick Wall, for starters
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=gorelickwall
The clintonites simply scream "lies!" without demonstrating the lie and without any evidence of the "truth". Deny, deny, deny, attack, attack, attack, threaten, threaten, threaten.
When Clinton had power the method worked for him. Almost did again.
Oh...wait.....She really is!
It seemed pretty bad to me, and I didn't see what was cut (dialup). They're still gonna be mad...
He also added ...
"Are they all cowards."
I'm MORE than satisfied with the truth of this movie.. Looks like the cuts weren't much at all. The timing of the "I did not have sex...." scene is all that was needed.
Yes, more damning in a more truthful way of President Clinton.
Fascinating. Is it possible in those late-night editing sessions, the President reflected back and said - use this. Look, truthfully, the whole "distracted" angle doesn't get at the heart of anything. I, Bubba, had a failure of character and was unwilling to properly take the reins as Commander-In-Chief when the consequences could be screwups, innocents killed, all those things that I have no stomach to take the heat for.
This blows the Clinton's out of the water....except they don't know it.
They are like the Wizard. "pay no attention to that man behind the curtain..."
They talked about the Cole attack on Nightline after part 1 and said neither Clinton or Bush retaliated for the Cole attack and Richard Clark saying what a mistake that was.
Some of us think THIS shouldn't have happened: ...
Nero FIDDLED
Clinton BLEW
In PT911, the clintonites simply scream "lies!" without demonstrating the lie and without any evidence of the "truth". Deny, deny, deny, attack, attack, attack, threaten, threaten, threaten.
When Clinton had power the method worked for him. Almost did again.
That figures. Attacked in October 2000, and Clinton left office in January 2001.
Hello -- the attack occurred on Clinton's watch. So typical.
"Tonight's segment seems to leap back to AA #11, which would skip right over the Cole by 11 months. "
That was a flash forward scene, but the show will pick back up tomorrow night with everything leading up to 9-11.
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