ABC 9/11 Miniseries: Democrats Forget 1st Amendment

Whatever happened to the First Admendment? It seems that Bush's flaunting his contempt for our Constitution has led to both parties doing the same. The hysteria surrounding the ABC "docu-drama" on 9⁄11 has led to vicious recriminations on both sides of the issue. All this is about is a movie that is intended to make money for ABC. This has not changed by the fact that ABC will not show commercials during the broadcast of the movie Sunday and Monday. This is no public service by the network. It is a blatant attempt to profit from the tragedy of 5 years ago. Bill Clinton doesn't want his already tarnished image to become more damaged. That explains his shrillness. He, and the Democrats, want to be able to take control of Congress in the Fall. Therefore, they don't want anything out there that somehow diverts blame for America's failure on the terror front from George Bush's feet. So both sides are guilty of using this controversy for their own gain. One thing is for sure, the ratings will be spectacular for ABC. Maybe that's what they wanted along -- controversy translating into ratings.

Here is a meaningful take on the miniseries from the NY Times by their TV reviewer, Alessandra Stanley:

"Dramatic license was certainly taken, but blame is spread pretty evenly across the board. It’s not the inaccuracies of 'The Path to 9⁄11' that make ABC’s mini-series so upsetting. It’s the situation on the ground in Afghanistan now.

The television movie about the rise of Al Qaeda comes at a time when the Taliban is flaunting a resurgence in Afghanistan. Sept. 11 drove the United States to clean out that terrorist hole-in-the-wall, once and for all. After all the lessons learned from Sept. 11, the Taliban is back and growing stronger while the American military there seems as bogged down as it is in Iraq, powerless to check the spiraling violence.

Hindsight is heartbreaking and disturbing to watch, even in a made-for-television movie. But it’s even harder to take when those steps continue to contaminate the present."

Related Links:
ABC Defends 9⁄11 Miniseries
Clinton Aides Slam 9⁄11 Drama