Now Playing: President Obama and Tom Hanks in The Road We've Traveled
A week ago brought the first teaser for The Road We've Traveled, a Davis Guggenheim-directed, Tom Hanks-narrated, campaign-driven lighting round through the Obama presidency to date. Last night brought the full 17-minute video, and while it squeezes a lot — from the economy to healthcare to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — into 17 minutes, it's probably most interesting around the 10:35 mark as Joe Biden takes us behind the scenes on the night Osama bin Laden was killed.
Just saying! It's a step up from Larry Crowne, in any case.
Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter.
Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Subscribe to the new Movieline on YouTube
Comments
I hope it helps.
Gross.
This is propaganda. It's funded by the Obama administration and it's a commercial.
The most unbelievable thing is that it gives Obama the credit for ending the Iraq war. He didn't, and it's shameful to pretend he did. When the deadline for departure set by Bush was looming, Obama requested to stay in Iraq. He was forced to leave when the one condition placed upon staying by the Iraqi government was that American troops would no longer be immune to prosecution under Iraq law for war crimes.
Think about that and let it sink in. Obama left Iraq not because it was what he thought was best, but because by staying he would run the risk that American military would be held to account for atrocities.
There are numerous other glaring problems with this video:
Why no mention of the due process free assassination of American citizen Anwar Alaki? Or his teenage, American son?
Why no mention of Bradley Manning's illegal torture while in prison?
Why no mention of the fact that the occupation of Libya is completely illegal?
Why no mention of the fact that the operation to kill Osama Bin Laden was also illegal?
Why no mention of Obama's repeated abuse of the States Secrets Privilege so as to keep victims of torture from having their day in court?
Why no mention of Obama's dramatic and unconscionable escalation of the drone war?
Why no mention of the fact that Obama extended the reach of the patriot act, vastly beyond anything George Bush had ever intended or imagined?
Why no mention of Obama's aggressive crackdown on whistleblowers?
Obama's presidency is a disaster for America. He has placed himself in direct opposition to the constitution and to the rights of Americans. His attitude to the law is clear: "if the President does it it's not ilegal."
The genius of his propaganda is that if you point this fact out, most people will assume you're a right wing zealot. Well, I'm a liberal and a person of conscience and I respect the rule of law. So fuck this video and fuck any well meaning idiot who can't see it for what it is. A bit of charisma and a few speeches can't make up for reprehensible and illegal conduct by a sitting President. Shame.