[Originally posted at LA Splash.] The new documentary film The Prosecution of an American President presents the premise that the U.S.’ 43rd president George W. Bush should stand trial for the murders of over 4,000 soldiers and countless Iraqi civilians killed throughout the Iraq War.
The movie is built on the book of the same name, penned by famed Charles Manson prosector and author of the chronicles of the Manson murders’ saga Helter Skelter, Vincent Bugliosi.
Executive Producer Nathan Folks says that the movie zeroes in on two important lies out of the nearly one thousand that Bugliosi tallied up for Bush. The first accusation is that Bush’s declaration Saddam Hussein was “unequivocally involved” with the events of 9/11 was a lie. The second is that Hussein was prepared to deliver a nuclear bomb at any moment and was an imminant threat to the U.S.
While not new revelations, it’s Bush’s willful disregard of factual evidence as he perpetuated those falsehoods that’s explored more in-depth. “Vincent [Bugliosi], in his research, discovered a document specifying that Saddam was not a threat, nor did he have weapons of mass destruction” Folks explains. “In the declassified version, all of the facts and stats were deleted. In his October 7, 2002 speech [in his Address to the Nation on Iraq From Cincinnati, Ohio] Bush was telling Americans the exact opposite of what he was told six days prior.”
“People couldn’t understand why the President [Bush] would lie. What were his motives? We can’t really know,” he goes on, “and when you prosecute someone you don’t have to prove motive. Was it ‘Big Oil’? Haliburton? No bid contracts? Cheney‘s company had no money until the war. Was George W. Bushtrying to one-up his father or avenge Saddam Hussein’s attempt to kill his father? These are the types of things you can’t prove– but you can show and explore.”
As the coming presidential election weighs the potential for the Commander in Chief to assess whether or not Iran is a threat, and how to address that threat if so, The Prosecution of an American Presidentcertainly presents a cautionary tale regarding whom the American people choose to fulfill that role.
While he says the timing was not intended to impact the 2012 election, Folks does hope it provides some insight as Americans cast their votes this November. “I believe that it will remind people what it was like to have a Republican in office. It’s not a political move to have the film come out in October, but because of how bad Bush was, it won’t help the case for the Republican campaign. I want people to know the truth whether it helps or hurts the election.”
Learn more about The Prosecution of an American President at prosecution2012.com.
Casandra Armour 