Fog of War is a fascinating insight into the life and times of Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defence in the Kennedy/Johnson era. I believe that it won best doco at the Oscars. Rob’s an interesting chap – charismatic, cogent, and yet he seems to carry the weight of a considerable guilt. He sounds important warnings for the US government of today, and his insight should be urgently heeded.
McNamara recited a quote from TS Elliot that struck me:
“We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time” – and that is where he feels he is now. If there were more people in positions of power that had learnt from their mistakes (and what they’d done right) would the world be a better place? I think that the answer is obvious.
Quite a strange website – the Southpark Robert McNamara figure at the start is completely out of sync with the film – it is disrespectful. But, the teachers guide looks superb.