I just watched No End in Sight, a documentary about the clusterfuck that was (and is) the planning and execution of the Iraq war. I can’t recommend it enough. Unlike Robert Greenwald’s Uncovered, which is similar in subject matter, it isn’t just a few people talking about what they think happened, with little actual information. It features people involved in the planning, soldiers, analysts, etc. It’s very well done and avoids Michael Moore style gotchas and theatrics. The litany of mistakes and inexplicable judgments aren’t new, but they’re presented in a such a powerful and coherent way that the combined weight of it all is crushing.

Of course, the major question that comes up is: why? Why all the mistakes? Why the errors in judgment? It’s asked at the end of the film, but not answered. As you’ve probably noticed previously, I have my own opinion and I think it explains these events the best. The Bush administration went into this with ideological zealotry (of the neoconservatism variety, to be specific) that blinded them from making reasonable decisions. Of course, had they not been so blinded, their inexperience and general incompetency would have been another stumbling block. As it stands, the sheer magnitude of their failures defies simple incompetency.

In any case, check it out. It’s depressing, but definitely worth seeing.