“Its a total fabrication-It did not happen"-Nat'l Security Adviser Berger

[kpete]

ABC Docudrama Sparks 9/11 Spat
By Jeff Stein, CQ Staff
.....................

Berger, portrayed as a pasty-faced time-server by Kevin Dunn (Col. Hicks in “Godzilla”) freezes in dithering apprehension when a manly and virtuous CIA agent played by Donnie Wahlberg radios in from the wilds of Afghanistan to say that he and his noble band of local tribesmen have Osama bin Laden within sight and begs for the green light to terminate him with extreme prejudice. In the film, the line goes dead before Berger offers any reply.

The moment is clearly intended to encapsulate the notion of American inattentiveness to the terror threat in the 1990s — a point driven home when the camera pans back to show Berger surrounded by a supporting cast of fellow Clinton administration nervous Nellies, including Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright and Defense Secretary William S. Cohen.

So when the post-screening question-and-answer session began, Ben-Veniste stood to say that the Berger-bashing scene didn’t square with the research he and the other commissioners conducted. “There was no incident like that in the film that we came across. I am disturbed by that aspect of it,” Ben-Veniste, a loyal Democrat, told the panel, which included both the producer and the commission’s GOP chairman, former Gov. Thomas H. Kean of New Jersey.

“It’s a total fabrication. It did not happen.” Clinton national security adviser Samuel R. Berger, responding to a key scene in ABC’s The Path to 9/11.

http://public.cq.com/public/20060905_homeland.html

[CJCRANE]

1. Just "creating reality"...nt

[GymDude]

46. "reasonably accurate", "fictionalized composite"... WTF!?!? n/m

[Kikosexy2]

56. Sue..

ABC, the producers, writers, etc. of this Fauxumentary drama...it's slander, libel, full of inaccuracies, false statements, etc...sue, sue,sue!!!

[acmavm]

2. Why the fuck doesn't someone make another F911? We need it NOW!

[Initech]

17. You could always watch this in the meantime:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0772153/

[PatrioticLeftie]

19. Moore is

creating a sequel called "Fahrenheit 9/11 1/2"

[John Gauger]

47. I was under the impression that Mike

was already working on one.

[grytpype]

3. Here's something that DID happen:

Is that going to be in their damned non-documentary?

[PinkyisBlue]

43. I hope these comments from Bush make it into the documentary:

"But I want to assure you, the objective is not bin Laden." Jan. 22, 2002

"I truly am not that concerned about him."
"He has no place to train his al Qaeda killers anymore." March 13, 2002



www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_10_10.php-133k-

www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/03/20020313-8.html-72k-



I can see why Bush is hesitant to continue press conferences. Lies tend to catch up with you after awhile.

[yankeedem]

4. Typical media

The writer takes pains to point out that Ben-Veniste is a "loyal Democrat" but doesn't mention the polticial leanings of the filmmaker.

[ComerPerro]

6. yeah, that bothered me too. And this is why this movie will be seen as

truth.

The media will allow conservatives to say that anyone discrediting this version (which is a complete lie) is just a partisan loyalist trying to cover their own ass.

[liberal N proud]

5. They need the fabricated evidence to further the support for their lies

One lie begets another and soon all you can do is lie. Example: The bu$h regime.

[ComerPerro]

9. If you use lies as the basis for your lies, no one can ever fully properly

begin deconstructing your lies without getting caught in a web of shit.

[MADem]

7. This is flopsweat desperate, electioneering bullshit on the part of the

GOP. I know it's only a movie, but we need to bitch about this big time, I think. This article is a good catalyst to express one's DEEP concern.

Their FEEDBACK FORM: http://abc.go.com/site/contactus.html

That method is the easiest, takes just a few seconds. I sent the bastards this:

I understand you are going to show a rightwing, Rovian, Blame Clinton "mockudrama" about 911. I have read what Richard Ben Veniste has to say about this muckraking, lie-riddled effort, and I want you to know that I am blocking ABC from my cable channel lineup starting today. Your deliberate use of the deaths of three thousand people to tout a neoconservative viewpoint is sickening in the extreme.

At long last, HAVE YOU NO SHAME?


SNAIL MAIL and PHONE--a quick postcard/phone call from a few hundred thousand people, perhaps?


ABC, Inc.
500 S. Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4551

[phone]*

Due to the volume of correspondence we receive regarding ABC programming, we are unable to individually respond to every audience inquiry. We do, however, value your comments and suggestions.

*Standard connection fees apply.

Pass that feedback form web address, the snail mail address, and phone number around. I think we need to push on this.

[panader0]

16. Done! I blasted them!

[ComerPerro]

8. Someday, I am gonna make a docudrama

about the time George W Bush and I went to mexico, binge drank and drove drunk, killed fifteen people, smoked marijuana, robbed a bank, did cocaine off a hooker's chest before sodomizing her, then had sex with several ten year old boys.

Of course, I'm sure loyal Republicans will say that I am just making shit up, but screw them. The truth has to be known.

[Disturbed]

11. Any comments from Bill Clinton about

this trash?

[ComerPerro]

12. there better not be! He wasn't even there

we invited his ass, but he said he was busy.

Or, were you not talking about my movie?

[tridim]

10. This thing is turning in truth's favor

Another loss for the Bush propaganda team.

It might even become a negative for them because the lie can't be defended. Not that they wont try.

[seabeyond]

14. i was thinking this earlier, seeing abc give to repug blogs, and

using shcolastic, abc extraordinary efforts, no commercials and the repug writer and so much more that makes all this really obvious. not to mention the obvious protrayal of clinton staff and berger as scared little pale beings and incompetent. lets see how many they have bush thru out the thing.

enough people are talking about it and hitting the non truths. when this airs, every fact that is lied or misrepresented needs to be accumulated and circulated. we need it in case this bullshit gets into our schools so we can immediately, throughout the country, address the teachers and administration.

you are right. i am seeing this may bring more awareness to truth, then promoting propaganda

[ck4829]

13. Richard Clarke agrees with him too

[CoffeeCat]

15. No one should be surprised...

The dominant play in the Rovian/Republican handbook is to lie, lie, lie--and allow
the lie to become a credible part of the debate--which legitimizes the lies.

This is exactly what they did when the Swiftboatted Kerry. It didn't matter what
the truth was. The truth is irrelevant. They attack by lying, and they manipulate
the other side into defending the lies. Then, they've successfully framed the debate--
with the Democrats on the defensive--looking helpless as they negotiate from a point
of weakness.

I cannot stand this crap. This movie--and the lies therein--are diversion from the real
issues.

They lie until the lie becomes an ingrained part of the American conscience. They ruin careers
with these tactics; and they leverage bad Republican policy with lies and decimate liberal
policies with fear and more lies.

Top the lies off with a few slogans and catch phrases ("Contract With America", "The Death
Tax", "Clear Skies Initiative, "Operation Enduring Freedom", "War on Terror") blast it all
on hate radio and in the MSM--and you've got yourself a recipe for success. :eyes:

It's revolting. It's disgusting. It's swirling our country down the toilet.

[gully]

18. Berger should SUE FOR SLANDER/LIBEL!

Defamation, sometimes called "defamation of character", is spoken or written words that falsely and negatively reflect on a living person's reputation.

If a person or the news media says or writes something about you that is understood to lower your reputation, or that keeps people from associating with you, defamation has occurred. Slander and libel are two forms of defamation.

[riderinthestorm]

35. If Berger threatened a suit, would that stop it's airing I wonder.

I would think if he is defamed in this movie (and it sure sounds like he is portrayed really badly, even maliciously wrongly) he has the power to put a stop to it with a lawyer or two I'd think (hope?)

[Name removed]

62. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Catherine Vincent]

65. And Bush is?

LOL! Begone ya troll!

[peacebird]

20. my letter to ABC

I am extremely concerned by reports about your upcoming 9/11 "mockudrama". In specific I have read that Berger and members of the 9/11 commission have stated key portions of the movie are blatant distortions to outright fabrications.
Is ABC planning on having Berger, or Clinton offer a rebuttal after the showing of this "mockudrama"? The history of events leading up to 9/11 is far too important to allow a sloppy "entertainment" based - not reality based - story dirty the waters.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

21. We have to make this thing the laughing stock of the fall TV season.

What can we compare it to? What's the worst TV movie ever? I'd like to say "Brady Bunch in the White House" but a drama would be a better choice.

[donco6]

22. What to compare it to? Triumph of the Will?

Hey, I'm not the one bringing up Germany/Iraq allusions.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

26. No, I mean BAD. Ham-handed, Ishtar-except-made-for-TV bad.

[donco6]

27. Ah, yes, something that makes people laugh inadvertently.

This could have all the makings of something like that.

[tridim]

28. Triumph of the Will was a groundbreaking film

Even though it was 100% propaganda. Probably not a good comparison.

It kind of stands alone as a film, but parallels the lies we've all heard for 5 years out of this administration. It's the Baghdad Bob of TV movies.

[Mist]

44. It seems to me any Bushco propaganda can be countered by asking

these two questions over and over:

[Catherine Vincent]

23. Go get 'em Berger!

First we hear from Clarke, then Berger. Maybe next we'll hear from Albright or Al Gore and then the best of them all .... President Clinton!

[Solly Mack]

24. Hafta ask yourself why the need to fabricate history

Supply your own answer.

[SeattleGirl]

25. I am glad that people "in the know" who were actually there,

and whose actions are being falsely portrayed in this piece of propaganda, are speaking out.

[lonestarnot]

30. Well at the very least, we can hope so.

[Wilms]

29. K&R n/t

[Rex]

31. Look who they got to play Dick Cheney!

This is his new mini-series:

[wiggs]

32. Why is there a show blaming a dem for bungling OBL search and why

is B*sh mentioning OBL every chance he gets?

Because he's gonna pull OBL out of his ass very soon....dead or alive. I'm telling you...the GOP is relying almost exclusively on national security as an issue to get out the GOP vote (no comment on how the dems are countering this)....this must be in advance of some major national security event that will show the public how on-target the GOP is with national security. Maybe it won't be OBL, but something like it.

They control the events and the stories about the events. That much we HAVE to have learned from the last six years.

I say that Path to 9/11 is a political ad that necessitates equal time... For balance, I suggest that ABC be made to run "That's My Bush" for four hours in prime time.

[Dinger]

33. I'm Glad That Berger & Clarke Have Spoken Out, But Why Has Clinton Been So

goddamned quiet????? And I repeat, there has virtually nothing in advance on t.v. After millions of people see it, it'll be too late. This one's gonna hurt if somebody doesn't do something very, very soon.

[wiggs]

34. Another blow to democracy, truth. This is really serious, chilling

Lincoln: A well informed public is the basis of democracy

Einstein: Truth is the enemy of power, now and always


Inference: Deception is a tool of entrenched, undemocratic power. Path to 9/11 is deceptive and dishonest. Therefore, Path to 9/11 is a threat to democracy. Couldn't be clearer.

This will cost votes.

[Stand and Fight]

39. Votes...

Yes, and by extension, lives. We can't let the son-of-a-bitch Republicans get away with this propaganda!

[Supersedeas]

36. Revisionist RW Propoganda -- now back to celebrity infotainment

[mistertrickster]

37. BOYCOTT THE SPONSORS

We have two choices--sit and whine to each other on websites like this one, or kick some right-wing ass.

I opt for the latter.

Let's find out who's sponsoring this POS and let THEM have it with both barrels.

"Captialism is a coward." They advertise to GAIN customers, not to LOSE them.

Let's use that . . .

BTW, here's what I wrote to ABC.

"The early reviews of your five hour 9-11 special show that it was written by an avowed conservative who has worked for the Republican party.

"It says that Clinton and Security Advisor Sandy Berger did not do enough to capture or kill Osama bin Laden before 9-11.

"This is a lie, it is a damn lie, and it is used to reinforce the Bush administration lie that Clinton is to blame for 9-11.

"If this movie aires right before the November elections, we liberals WILL BOYCOTT you and your sponsors."

[speedoo]

38. Maybe we should be going after Kean as well.

Is ABC paying him off so they can use him to legitimize this fiction?

I don't think Gov. Kean would like his reputation trashed, so maybe that's what we should do.

[Stand and Fight]

40. Trash them all...

It's time that the Democratic Party stop taking the bloody "high-road" and start to sling some shit like the Republicans.

[seabeyond]

41. i want to know where the money is coming from thinking of bushco

paying for propaganda thru fake news reels and journalists.

[speedoo]

42. Following the money is always a good idea.

I have no doubt that bushco is somehow funding it.

[theanarch]

59. don't hold your breathe waiting for Kean...

...to correct the record: his little legacy brat (Tom JUNIOR) is running for the US Senate and needs every penny he can get from the GOP (even if he's too chicken-shit to be photographed with Unka Dick at the fundraisers). But then, Kean Sr. is (like Christine "witless" Whitman) the most useful of idiots for the GOP--"moderate" window-dressing. His "reputation" was built almost entirely on a series of feel-good tv commercials he starred in as governor, touting Jersey tourism and vegetables.

[AngryAmish]

45. Sandy Berger is the best we have

He is the pinnacle of Democratic probity and honor. We must support him.

[hashibabba]

48. Who are the sponsors and how do we contact them?

I sent two letters to ABC, but I'd love to contact the sponsors. If we could get a couple of sponsors to back out, it might affect their decision to show it.

[peacetalksforall]

50. Do you mean spnsors or advertisors?

Spnonsors: Those who funded the production?
Advertisors: I heard there won't be ads? So, does that mean ABC loses a couple of hours of advertising revenue? Or ... does that the WH/RNC used a slush fund to pay ABC? Or ... is ABC receiving some kind of favor for this ad free film showing?

Does the lack of advertisors mean that no advertisors would pick up on it?

I've always felt that a portion of the money stolen by Enron was deposited in the RNC slush fund. Whether from the failed elec power deal in India or from the FL teachers pension stock failure - or from other failed companies where people lost their shirts or from the missing DOD and HUD money - all that per cent of money funds the RNC.

Yes, Berger should sue. There is no stopping the publicity now - go for it - let ABC know how we feel, study the William Pitt fact sheet to counter the lies. Support Conyers, Dingle, Slaughter and othere who join them in their pursuit. We know about a major lie before it's even aired. Use it. Only four and one/half days.

[Bushladen]

49. This is sad

But it really doesn't matter if Clinton didn't kill OBL. We all know that this was an inside job from Bush and friends. Bin Laden is just a patsy. If OBL was responsible then it would be listed on his wanted poster with the FBI. If Clinton had killed OBL then Bush would have blamed 9/11 on Saddam. But I agree the mockudrama shouldn't be aired.

[seabeyond]

51. that is the ironic. i wont say for sure, but i have my suspicions.

especially after some of hte things like loose change and a oneil time story

[SoCalDem]

52. When is the 2 hour special on ABC for the truth?

and when will the "teacher's guide" for that show be sent to schools?

[ObaMania]

53. Gee, if it all were a lie you'd think that Bill Clinton..

.. would come out and defend himself, huh?

Don't hold your breath.

[bobbolink]

54. So, *we* know the plot. Therefore, Clinton, Albright, et al know

the plot.

Why their silence?

Why aren't they raising the roof on this?

Why no lawsuits?

Why.....why the complicity?

That is the *real* problem.

They are allowing the lies.

[seabeyond]

55. i know at least two, berger nad albright have spoken out

not to mention others on the hill

[bobbolink]

57. Where did you hear/see Albright?

So, that leaves Clinton and the SecDef.

Geeeeeezzz... what's with these people?

Thanks for the info. :thumbsup:

[seabeyond]

58. cant find the thread with her comment and the part she opposes

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2061015

but in htis thread it has a link to something she wrote or said. also i just saw a thread float by with dlc? dnc?making a statement about this

[bobbolink]

63. Since I asked that, it seems that much has happened, and I now

see that they have at least SAID something. It remains to be seen how hard they fight this.

Thanks for the reply. I hope they sue those *_)@(#^$*_^*#&!!!

[MasonJar]

60. Sent them another e-mail.

[Name removed]

61. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Catherine Vincent]

64. Bye troll!

It was nice not talking to you. LOL!