Bush Family Fortunes - The Best Democracy Money Can Buy Reviews

• Meet The Man Who Saw Bush's Guard Records Shredded!

  
  By A195SHCWYV4MQX on 2004-08-24
  And tells about it on camera, loud and clear! Anyone who views this DVD knows why the American TV networks didn't air it: too much truth, too much documentation, too much honesty. I live in Asia and have friends living in Europe. This program was shown on TV on those two continents, but not in N. America.
  Why? Because it also tells exactly how the 2000 election was stolen - gives the names of the people involved, the companies involved, and lets us know that the contracts for this infamy were given out months in advance. What's keeping them from doing it again? This DVD should be viewed by all Americans.
  
  

• Very good Special

  
  By A3QA5IQ2DAGTNW on 2004-09-14
  Living in our modern world I was able to snag a copy off of the internet, it was shown on BBC 3 and what Greg Palast calls the electronic Berlin Wall is and was still in effect Americans weren't lucky enough to get a peek; until now.
  
  Greg Palast exposes the charmed life of George Dubya Bush through his dealings with the Texas air national guard through the theft of the White House in 2000 and does so with snarky commentary AND documented proof.
  
  I recommend this to everyone, no matter what your political leanings are it's important to know both sides of the story.
  
  

• Palast Outlines The Political Rise of George W. Bush

  
  By A2Q457CES5ZUZ on 2004-10-08
  Greg Palast during the personal interview phase of his hard hitting new DVD documentary "Bush Family Fortunes", which he adapted from his penetrating bestseller "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy", explains what it took to enable him to provide his insightful commentaries into the current political scene. He had to move out of the country.
  
  Many people think that Greg Palast is a British reporter. Actually he hails originally from the San Fernando Valley suburban Southern California town of Van Nuys, but in the process of attempting to penetrate through the thick veneer of corporate media concentration, he was stymied. Since the British Broadcasting Corporation was willing to present his television reporting and The Guardian willing to publish his articles, Palast has been spending a great deal of his time in London. "My kids have these funny Upstairs, Downstairs English accents," he explains, "and I'd love to spend more time in America, but I found I had to work in England."
  
  Michael Moore calls Palast's reporting "courageous" and it certainly is. He never takes a backward step, especially when it comes to the rich and powerful that are attempting to shield their unscrupulous practices. This film reveals how George W. Bush went AWOL in the Texas Air National Guard when it appeared that combat might be awaiting in Vietnam.
  
  A fellow Guardsman explains that the rules were bent in order for him to be accepted, since the general rule was that members had between three and years of flying experience to be considered. Bush not only had no such experience; he was just one point above the "too dumb to fly" minimum score on his entrance application and had over 100,000 applicants ahead of him. He also, it must be noted, had a father who was a famous Houston congressman.
  
  Palast recounts how Bush failed in four tries in the oil business, how his father was set up with a million dollar account by his father, Connecticut Senator Prescott Bush, in what friendly corporate media sources have described as "making it on his own" as an oilman in Midland Texas, as well as how young Bush, through his connections, received a lucrative contract from Bahrain for oil drilling despite the fact that his Harken Energy was a fledgling young company without the kind of track record expected under the circumstances. As Palast's documentary repeatedly reveals, it helps when you have the name of Bush and the myriad connections flowing therefrom.
  
  Another important aspect of the documentary is the informative revelations about Bush family involvement with the Saudi oil monarchy and the Carlyle Group. He follows the Saudi connection attentively, noting how the Bush family used the FBI to spike an investigation into the bin Laden family, with which the Bushes were closely linked.
  
  The most hilarious episode in this fast-moving documentary involves the climax of Palast's investigation into charges that Governor Jeb Bush used his influence along with Katherine Harris to suppress votes of close to one hundred thousand African-Americans in the 2000 presidential election on his brother's behalf. Palast tragically was unable to generate interest from American sources in this story when it was developing during the post-election recount period. He notes that even the Gore team was afraid to jump aboard and provide support.
  
  As a result Palast used his London BBC connection and flew to Florida's capital of Tallahassee to conduct interviews. When he began filming an interview with Clay Roberts, Harris's top subordinate and the state's supervisor of elections, the interviewee nervously ended the process. This came just as Palast was beginning to ask Roberts about the firm used by the state to track down alleged "felons."
  
  Roberts ended the interview, scurried into his office, and called security, looking like both a frightened and petulant child. A nonchalant Florida state trooper entrusted with evicting Palast from the premises grinned and told the interviewer, "There's never a dull moment around here." Meanwhile a highly nervous Roberts called out from his office in the adjoining room that Palast must leave immediately. Such is Republican democracy as practiced by the brothers Bush, Katherine Harris, and Clay Roberts.
  
  The informative DVD also contains interactive material consisting of "secret" contracts and memos from closed-door meetings. The film demonstrates the ongoing clash between vigilant reporters fearlessly seeking the truth and corrupt corporate and political forces equally determined to prevent it from surfacing.
  
  

• Great work by a REAL Journalist...Neocons Beware!

  
  By A2J57EQ9KPGXR9 on 2004-10-11
  This is a great follow-up for Americans who watched Moore's film and want the whole story. As usual, I see that some Neocon lackeys posted their usual "Its's all lies" reviews (ho-hum). The information in this DVD is 100% accurate and can be verified, unlike the rantings of Neocon minions. This DVD even contains photos of documents uncovered by Greg Palast.
  
  I originally heard all of this information a while back, on the BBC's online site (since American reporters are too cowardly to question Lord Bush) its good to see it presented in a polished documentary.
  
  Every American needs to swallow the red pill and watch this DVD.
  
  

• Raising a Red Flag Before November 2...Hard to Ignore

  
  By A13E0ARAXI6KJW on 2004-10-19
  Along with Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "Bush's Brain" about Bush advisor Karl Rove, this excellent one-hour DVD appears to complete an eye-opening trilogy of pertinent documentaries about concerns raised in continuing the Bush administration for another four years. Each has its shortcomings, mostly around the veracity of some of the findings, but this one by journalist Greg Palast seems more grounded than the other two and consequently less caught up in its own hyperbole. Perhaps that's because it was first produced for the BBC where a non-American audience was trying to make sense of Bush's rise to prominence, his imperialist and economically insensitive policies and the extremist feelings he seems to induce in this country.
  
  Much of this material has been covered in "Fahrenheit 9/11", but his approach is quite different. Palast also does not focus as much on Iraq since his film was made earlier than Moore's. What he does cover is still quite intriguing, beginning with Bush's admittance into the Texas Air Guard, which effectively ensured he would not see active duty in Vietnam. Among those interviewed regarding that mysteriously unrecorded period are people who claim that Bush didn't even show up for duty. Palast even one-ups Moore by finding an official who swears that any incriminating evidence in Bush's file was shredded to avoid making the then-Governor of Texas look anything but heroic. The controversial 2000 Florida election results are covered in this film as well. Moore had powerful footage of African-American members of Congress being turned away for their pleas to invalidate the results. Palast, on the other hand, takes great care in providing some seriously damning evidence providing documents (included as part of the DVD extras) which prove that many legitimate voters were prevented from casting their ballots based on false accusations of a criminal past. The majority of these voters were not coincidentally African American and Democrat, and their numbers outdo the margin by which Bush defeated Gore by a fairly significant amount. A telling moment occurs when Palast tries to have a Florida official account for this alleged and obviously illegal act, and the man leaves the room in a huff and refuses to look at the documentation or answer his questions. Finally, like "Fahrenheit 9/11", much time is spent investigating Bush family ties with the Saudi royals and the bin Laden family. Palast traces the same money trail that Moore does connecting Bush's business endeavors back to Saudi investment money and bin Laden capital specifically.
  
  Chances are high that if you are a staunch Republican that you will avoid this DVD, which would be a shame since the evidence is powerfully presented here in a dry journalistic style. Having myself read "Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against Kerry" to get an alternative perspective on John Kerry's leadership, I think it's fair to take a look at this film to see the other side. The DVD also includes a very enlightening interview with Palast on how he compiled his information. Strongly recommended viewing before you vote.
  
  
• Liberal propoganda or not?
  By A170ZW7TCGJB0Q on 2004-10-05
  I find it ironic that the previous reviewer(s) label Greg Palast as a liberal propogandist because this reveals they did not read his book, 'The Best Democracy Money Can Buy'. Palast is an old-fashioned muckraking journalist who will report the mis-deeds of those with conservative, liberal and moderate persuasions. To give some background, in his book he exposes misdeeds by the Bushs, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Pat Robertson, the World Bank, environmentalists, major corporations......and if this is giving you the perception that the ball part of Palast's 'ball point pen' is a wrecking ball, you are correct. Investigative reporting has no credability if it is biased in any way shape and form and Palast is relentless to find the truth, no matter how offensive it is. Palast even exposes himself: the one-time he took the money and ran from an investigative report. This is totally indicative of the truthfulness and uncompromising nature of his reportage in both the book and DVD. This documentary could have easily been called 'Lewinsky, the snorting Koch brothers, and the reason why Bill Clinton should have been impeached'.
  
  But the subject matter at hand is the all-American Bush family and Palast, as usual, gives no quarter. He reports on the 2000 stolen election; how the Iraq invasion was actually planned in the year 2001; how W. jumped ahead of 'thousands' of applicants to get into the Texan National Air Guard with a score of 25 on his entrance exam. This score places W. at one point above the "too-dumb-to-fly-status". Etc, etc, etc. For those who think the Bush family is being wronged just consider some of the historic offences accumulated by the Bush clan.
  
  In 1918, Prescott Bush and two friends crept into the cemetery near Fort Sill and pried open the grave of Geronimo and removed the head. It was cleaned and sent to New Haven where it was used in some ritualistic manner by later Bushs.
  
  Excuse me. Isn't this called grave robbing?
  
  George Walker, GW's great-grandfather and Prescott Bush were both in business with the Nazis. GW made money of of I.G. Farben, the loving company who made Zyklon B gas used you know where. Ole GW hired John Foster Dullas to hide the funds they were making from Nazi investments and the funds they were sending to Nazi Germany, rather than divest. Hmmmmm......
  
  Prescott Bush managed the Silesian-American Corporation along with his father-in-law George Herbert Walker. This company was vital in supplying coal to the Nazi war industry and was seized as a Nazi-front on November 17, 1942 by the US government. The largest company Bush's UBC helped finance was the German Steel Trust, responsible for between one-third and one-half of Nazi iron and explosives. I suppose it is just another case of unwarrented government regulation. How dare the feds prevent the Bushs from making money from the Nazis. Long live the free market!!!
  
  The Bush family misdeeds include Neal Bush, Jeb Bush, Jonathon Bush, Jeb son's George, Jeb's son John, Laura Bush, Jeanna Bush....................so it's just another episode of 'All In The Family'. My only question is, who represents 'dingbat' and 'meathead'? Oh Ahrrchie.....
  
  As for the film BFF, its production values are not on the exalted level as 'Fahrenheit 9/11' but, or perhaps because of this, the revealed facts seem stark and more damaging that those in F.911.
  
  My only caveat has nothing to do with Palasts reportage but with one of its featured interviewees. Retired Lieutenant Colonel Bill Burkett, the man in BFF who stated he watched parts of Bush's National Guard records being shredded, is the person who gave Dan Rather the 'newly found' (questionable) papers that stated Bush was given preferential treatment to avoid going to Vietnam. Rather had to apologize to Bush on natioinal television over the flap. OK. But as any active news junkie knows, Dr. Yoshi Tsurumi, one of W's Harvard business professors from the early 70's stated Bush told him, "he admitted to me that to avoid the Vietnam draft, he had his dad -- he said 'Dad's friends' -- skip him through the long waiting list to get him into the Texas National Guard." So Palast could dump Burkett and substitute Tsurumi to draw the same conclusion.
  
  The point to this lengthy review is to encourage those with reservations about Bush Family Fortunes to watch this DVD and then read his book 'The Best Money Democracy Can Buy' to give the documentary its proper context. As Eugene O'Neal once stated, 'the truth is never bad'. Yes, this is true, but the truth can be awfully embarrassing to the Bushs.
  
  Watch this documentary.
  
  
• Essential viewing before Nov. 2
  By A11RFJ32TIN1E5 on 2004-10-06
  This is a fascinating example of how journalism should be done. Palast reveals the disturbing truth behind the 2000 election, the war in Iraq, Bush's "service" (or lack thereof) during Vietnam. Before you buy the administration's lies about spreading democracy abroad, you should first see this film and realize that Bush and co. have already destroyed democracy at home. Bush, with his family fortune, has basically bought his way into power. Powerful, eye-opening stuff - buy a copy, watch it yourself, then give it to all your friends. This film could save us from four more years of this deceitful aristocracy.
  
  
• A small discrepancy that reveals much....
  By A10JAIA6P9UHLS on 2004-10-17
  Hmmmm, let's see. The reviews are either one-star or five-star. What does this suggest? The party affiliation or affinity of the reviewers is clear. This film may not have the savvy of Moore's film, but I always am vindicated that these documentaries are on target when a certain group of viewers goes ballistic and are unable to truly give constructive criticism, beyond simply crying 'propaganda.' The inability to participate in or to entertain even the notion of considered debate is part of why our great country is falling behind, in diplomacy and in humanitarianism.
  
  
• another good dvd
  By A39068VJWVBXTM on 2004-10-08
  about bush being a jerk. there's so much of this stuff out there i don't understand how anyone can re-elect this guy.
  
  
• Be honest to yourself
  By A16SY0S90H4OAX on 2004-10-02
  I can't understand how people still didn't get it. We should all know by now that some people use fear to be able to do what they want to. It's pretty obvious though and everyone should step back, take all the information that is available and see what is going on. But no...some people want to support their president because it is "good" to do so, no matter what he does and those people don't even take a second to see this movie before judging it. There's even one person who gave it 1 star and said this "book" was a fairytale...or something like that. Dude, it's a DVD...And you know what? 7 people found his review helpful.
  
  
• Tell your Republican (+ undecided) friends to watch this!
  By A1JY7X0SJY197Q on 2004-10-05
  This is such an important movie to see before the 2004 election, especially if you are undecided! Everyone needs to see the damning evidence presented in this DVD of exactly how Bush and his cronies stole the 2000 election! It's amazing that he was allowed to stay in office! Why was nothing done to impeach him?!?! Once you see this, you will definitely want to vote him out, no matter if you are a Democrat or a Republican.
  
  
• Worth Seeing, Especially If You plan to Review It
  By A2NFM03IYQ47P8 on 2005-03-26
  It's no surprise to see what Bush & Co. have been up to. What is astonishing is that they get away with it. How does that happen? It all brings to mind an Agatha Christie book in which Hercule Poirot is asked what makes him a great detective; "Most people keep their theories and throw away the facts", he said, "I prefer to keep the facts." Notice that in a recent negative review, rather than addressing the facts of this DVD, the reviewer falls back on the "liberal media" mantra. We hear about Dan Rather, CBS and Michael Moore but not one word about the film. Did the reviewer even bother to watch it? I doubt it. Would it have made a diference if he did? Probably not. Like all too many Americans his mind is made up and the facts bounce off like BBs on a battleship. For example; Fact - John Kerry was a highly decorated war hero. Fact - George W. Bush was somehow chosen over hundreds of other applicants to join the National Guard and then lost his flight status for failing to show for a physical. And what conclusion did millions of Bush backers come to given these facts? That John Kerry's service should be questioned but not George W. Bush's! Now that's a conclusion that takes some serious mental gymnastics to get to. You can bet your bottom dollar that those are peole who cling to their theories and discard the facts.
  So here's my review; Terrific film if you keep an open mind. Keep the facts. Throw away your theories.
  
  
  
• Here We Go Again!
  By A179GX8E3M4G52 on 2004-10-27
  Yes, here we have yet one more blistering account of malfeasance by our forty-third President, George W. Bush. You'd think that with all the accusations of self interest, incompetence and cronyism flying around that Georgie would be up for impeachment instead of reelection. (let's assume he was elected and not appointed)
  
  But... what if it's true! What if the man, who the religious right reverently treats like is the second coming of Jesus Christ but in reality is seemingly fulfilling the prophecies his arch enemy, the Anti-Christ, is really as bad as all the books and videos are saying? Wouldn't I feel awful if I helped put this cretin back in office to wreak biblical havoc upon the world?
  
  Bush Family Fortunes - The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, rehashes much of the information disseminated in Fahrenheit 9/11 but it is dispersed using a different methodology. In BFFTHDMCB the film takes on more of an investigative news report feeling ie. Dateline or 60 Minutes. In Fact, the movie starts out with an indignant Assistant Florida Secretary of State walking out on Palast, stating the interview is over.
  
  The overriding premise of the movie is that G. W. Bush's presidency calculates every move to increase his stature an make money for his friends and his family. Included as some of the beneficiaries of the president's largesse are bankrupt Enron's Chairman Kenneth Lay, Vice President Cheney's former company Haliburton of which Cheney was CEO, Arms manufacturer, The Carlyle Group, the bin Ladens and the Saudi Royal Family.
  
  Palast also lays out a convincing case of what many have suspected. The real reason for the invasion of Iraq was OIL and shows a map supposedly surreptitiously obtained which shows the oil fields and allegedly depicts the areas various oil companies were to operate in.
  
  Palast also delves into the Bush war record which has many unanswered questions. Ostensibly Bush leapfrogged over some one hundred thousand other applicants on the waiting list and tested 25 of 100 on the National Guard entrance test (after graduating from Yale), the lowest score allowed. In addition when Bush was Governor, he had staff members go through and shred many of his Air National Guard records.
  
  CONCLUSION
  
  For those that have seen Farhenheit 9/11, you may want to pass on BFFTHDMCB as it covers much of the same material, all of which is unfavorable to the Bush administration, unless, of course, you cannot get enough bad news about our president. However, much of the Florida election shenanigans that have been uncovered and continue to be uncovered that were shown in both films were the work of Greg Palast. Palast says the orchestrated problems that were evident in 2000 have not been corrected and that there is a potential for even more mischief.
  
  One thing I heard that did not ring true and I don't believe, is when Greg was interviewing a big time lawyer, who had been involved in the big tobacco settlement and was now investigating 9/11, said in no uncertain terms that our intelligence agencies have known since 1995 that terrorists planned to crash an airplane into either a symbol of commerce or the military. If there was any truth to this than it would have been in the 9/11 Commission Report and it wasn't. When you see something like this that you feel is inaccurate you start to wonder if other things mentioned and not corroborated elsewhere are also inaccurate. This is a weakness in the film for me. Luckily that for me was the only thing that stood out as being unlikely.
  
  This movie and the proceeding book were based upon Palast's hard hitting investigative reports for BBC and UK's Guardian and Observer newspapers. The main film lasts approximately sixty minutes and has two special features sections, one an interview with Palast and the other, an examination of the incriminating documents that Palast has collected.
  
  
  
• Restores your faith in investigative journalism
  By AWUGCXSF0FLK8 on 2004-10-03
  Stranger than fiction but the film rings true. The quid pro quo system of bribery and influence peddling is, of course, as old as history, but the Bushes and Co. have raised it to an art form. I was worried that it would just rehash points I had already seen made in Unprecedented, Orwell Rolls in His Grave (highly recommended)and Bush's Brain, but it expands that story in some interesting ways, especially in terms of the Saudi Arabia/Bush connection. Greg Palast, Charles Lewis, and Seymour Hersh actually give one hope that ethical investigative journalism is possible. The DVD doesn't have much in the way of extras, but the additional interview with Palast is worth watching (he's not as photogenic as all the talking heads on network news shows, but his intelligence and investigative skills more than make up for it).
  
  
• hey, look at the first review on this product!
  By A1BQHO79TS0MON on 2004-10-19
  Very nice use of grammar! I believe he said "for more years". It would be correctly spelled, four more years. I didn't know Bush supporters had the brain of Bush!
  
  
• God bless democracy...
  By A2RXBOOZ3BU650 on 2004-10-26
  For those of you out there that plan on voting for George Bush simply because he "believes in God" I have news for you. John Kerry also believes in God. Besides, can voting for a person simply because he holds ONE opinion that you hold be considered responsible voting? Aren't there other factors that should play into your decision? Are you OK with the FACT that you were lied to by your leader? And if you really believe that the world is "safer" because we overthrew a dictator (something George Bush was actually quoted as saying he would like to be!!!) then you are either not up-to-date on the facts or you simply choose to not believe them. Either way, we all lose if 50% of the people in this country vote with their hearts and not their heads.
  
  
• What the hell should see the DVD
  By A31CSFJDGQN124 on 2004-10-04
  I am writing to protest this review. Has Amazon no standards. The reviewer HAS NOT SEEN the DVD!! He says so twice. He's proud of it. What he's contributed is a free political ad. I'm shocked and disgusted.
  
  what the hell?, October 2, 2004
  Reviewer: Black Wesley (Vancouver) - See all my reviews
  What the hell is everyone's problem? Oh no it's bunch of liberal propaganda bs. What about Bush? He has not told the truth since the beginning. I haven't seen this movie. But I know it's the same as others, and I have already look at facts and the lies about what Bush has done for our country. Let's get things straight Bush is a corrupt politican. Haven't any of you read this stuff in the bible about the corrupt politics with the Romans? It's the same thing. If anything Bush is the one spreading propaganda. Now, I have nothing to say about this movie. I haven't seen it. But...i can't believe there some people writing reviews about this condeming it when they haven't seen it. Such as the member "James S. Ewing I am job". I bet he hasn't seen it. I know because everyone does the same thing to other films like the documentary Outfoxed or Fahrenheit 9/11. It's riddiculus. Don't say anything bad about the movie if you haven't seen it. And I can't believe that about 61 out of 66 people think that his review was helpful. Are we all insane? Can't we all figure out that Bush is corrupt and that he has a connection to the saudi's and al-quada? Can't we all look at the facts and realize that we have more troops in Iraq then we do in Afghanstain? We should be in afghanstain more to find Osma bin Laden. But we're not. We don't have that many troops. This is riddiculus. Let's get something straight, please see the movie before you say anything. See it and decide for yourself what his true and think of the questions that we should really ask to our president. Cause he's gotta lot of explaning to do. Right now, I am going to calm down and go see this movie and actually see if it was good or not. Thank you.
  
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• If a tree falls in the woods...
  By A1BMTF8S1E5ASP on 2005-05-31
  Isn't is funny how people who stick up for Bush never have any solid factual refutations for the documentaries that skewer him and his ties?
  All they can do is throw out insults as to how easily led people are, and how brainwashed everyone is who believes in solid investigative journalism.
  ...Or 'hogwash' to some people.
  Seriously. If anyone ever has anything of substance to offer from the Bush campaign other than stonewalling, whitewashing, and covering up... I'm all ears.
  Maybe it's just my natural cynicism, but when I see two sides of an issue, and one side is saying "there's something wrong here", while the other is saying "nothing to see, move along", well maybe I am gullible but I'm more inclined to believe the whistleblower side of things. Especially when it's backed up with so many undeniable facts.
  
  
• Michael Moore's dorm buddy
  By A1KI6L82M5RAHQ on 2005-12-01
  Yes, there is hardly anrguement made in this film that was not made in FAHRENHEIT 9/11, but it appears Greg Palast serves dual roles in this film, asserting the corruption and greedy of the Bush Administration, and confriming that Michael Moore is indeed, NOT a liar (Moore is actually given VERY SPECIAL THANKS in the end credits.)
  
  While Michael Moore is known as a populist rabble-rouser (and, of course, reviled by conservatives everwhere as a "Lying Propagandist"), Palast is more of a resourceful gumshoe. While Michael moore proudly where a Michigan State University cap, palast dons a fedora.
  Indeed, BUSH FAMILY FORTUNES elaborates on a number of arguements commonly made against George W. Bush. For example, did he ever serve his coutry during the Vietnam War? Well, that's what cradle-to-grave conservative Republican politicians and voters would have you bleieve.
  But not according to the assisstant to George Texas Air Guard General (the General is deceased), who states unequvically, on camera, that while Bush was Governor of Texas, his underlings called in and order any shred of evidence that Bush went AWOL to be removed from his military records and be, well, shredded!!!
  And what about the 2000 election. Palast takes this even further than did Moore, with his discovery the some 94,000 Florida voters, mostly blacks, were forbidden to vote because they were listed as felons. Were they? Well, Palast discovers that the list of felons forbidden to vote in Florida in 2000 was 95% inaccuarate, and that these people who were barred from voting would more than likely have swung Florida, and thus the Presidency, for Al Gore. This is due to the fact that Bush campaign manager Katherine Harris, conviently also the woman in charge of the Florida vote count paid DBT ChoicePoint $4 million to come up with a list of names of felons, who should not be allowed to vote, and then telling ChoicePoint not to bother verifiying the accuracy of the list, thus barring Floridians voters (the majority, Palast asserts, Democrats) from voting because their names are similar to convicted felons anywhere in the U.S.
  And finally we come, as all Anti-Bush documentaries must, to the War in Iraq, and Palast essentially proves without a shadow of a doubt that indeed, it WAS for oil.
  Aside from Bush going on live television and forbidding Iraqis from desroying oil wells, Palast also uncovers a confedential White House document, "written long before the war started" the lays out plans the divide and privitize all of Iraq's assets, "especially those in oil."
  And if that doesn't convince you, than how about the evidence that Cheney prepared for the Iraq war by studying maps of Iraq with Oil company CEO's. This has recntly gotten more media attention in the face of oil companies making record profits in the wake of the recnt takeoff in gas prices. This, I imagine, is going to provide a massive blow to the Bush Administration's already sagging Public Approval ratings.
  If you let the liars and conservative Bush supporters trick you into beliving that Michael Moore's FAHRENHEIT 9/11 is full of lies (Moore critic and unapologetic liar Dave Kopel, in the film FAHRENHYPE 9/11, calls the allegetion that we invaded Iraq for oil "Preposterous"), then let Mr. Palast be your guide.
  
  
• Should have been on National TV before the election
  By AAJTZPX7HDE5U on 2004-11-15
  This is no-nonsense journalism at its best. It sets the standard the profession should adhere to. At least it should be setting that standard. There's no integrity left in North American journalism so this ends up being shut out by people who'd rather avoid dealing with disturbing facts. Greg Palast is one of what's turning out to be a rare sort of breed these days. He does what almost everybody else assiduously avoids doing: he follows the trail left by the money.
  
  What he finds should affect the view people have of world politics and how things really work.
  
  His sights are set on the Bush family. He explores their ties to the corporate sector and the effect they've had on the events of the last four years. The revelations concerning the election of year 2000 and how it was stolen are shocking. I've followed his reports for a couple of years now and knew these things already. I still find them shocking. His exposure of the money trail behind it all leaves no doubt as to the criminal nature behind those events.
  
  The same thing holds true with his coverage of the Bush family's ties to Enron and Ken Lay. He lays out where the money came from, where it went, and what George gave to Enron. He never suggests bribery or influence peddling. He just points out who got what. The information ends up speaking for itself.
  
  Palast first revealed the documentation concerning the selling off of Iraqi assets over a year ago. Every concerned party should take careful note of this information. It goes further toward explaining why events are taking the shape as they have since he first brought it out than anything anyone else has said (or shown) does.
  
  These are just a few examples of the film's content and they reflect the pattern of this entire presentation. With each subject Palast tracks the money and shows where the trail leads. The dots connect themselves. His presentation of information is direct, effective and straight to the point. He's not lacking in wit either. The film is sprinkled with bits of dry humour and has one moment of genuine hilarity. It's clear the scene was set up intentionally. The man has a good sense of dramatic timing to go along with his journalistic skills.
  
  The interview (which follows the film) is exceptional. This is set up as a separate chapter and should be watched several times. Greg Palast isn't just a well-informed individual: he's an interesting one as well. His insight and overview of how events transpire is a rare and valuable one.
  
  The only complaint I have with this documentary is that it takes too long to get moving. The prologue is an assortment of clips from the film backed by a haunting track supplied by Moby (which is proof positive that Palast recognizes and respects genius). The various credits for the film are more or less "filtered" in. It's an effective method of presenting themes but it lasts too long.
  
  It's a small complaint though. Palast presents information that's invaluable and he substantiates all of it. There's enough here to warrant going back time and again. I know. I've been doing that. His method of presenting it is stylish, effective and always to the point. Anyone who watches and enjoys this film would do well to follow it up by obtaining a copy of his bestselling book, "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy". That will leave them wishing to see the more of the information Palast offers presented on film.
  
  The mainstream media lost much of its credibility when Iraq's infamous "WMD's" failed to materialize. They did it to themselves though. They didn't question what Bush and his cronies had to say even though statements they made kept falling flat on their faces. They're not cleaning their act up either. This, and other documentaries like it offer an alternative that's proving it can be a good one.
  
  Much of what's here has gotten into the mainstream. That's true. But it's only because Palast and others like him pushed it and kept pushing it before it was fashionable to do so. And it needs to keep coming up. If not it gets forgotten. Society can't afford that, not if we want to keep living in a functioning democracy. This film is an important one for anyone who values that process. The use of electronic voting machines has been been discussed here in Canada as well. Palast's findings demonstrate how these machines would be used.
  
  This is the film that should have been shown on the week of the election. Had that been the case there may not have been enough uninformed individuals around to put a legitimate face on what happened.
  
  
• This dvd is cool!
  By AFHQQWJBJ4ZQL on 2004-10-23
  I don't hate Bush.I just don't want him to be president.Don't you realize that he want to Iraq for no apparent reason!I know you people aren't stupid,but if you think real hard and at least use your brain.Than maybe you'll realize hes not that good of a president.
  
  
• THIS DVD NEEDS TO BE SHOWN IN ALL HISTORY CLASSES IN THE UNITED STATES
  By A2KZZF2W3RA6LP on 2005-09-09
  A well done documentary. Loaded with truth and hard copy facts that the present White House administration would like to keep secret.. but this is public information. All Americans would benefit from seeing this DVD. Bravo to Greg Palast for being a GIRAFF AND STICKING HIS NECK OUT ONCE AGAIN.
  
  
• eyes wide half-open
  By A3GM7I0ULH19DP on 2004-12-03
  The independent media, of which this is an excellent example, are the only resource we have to speaking the truth. Just as we saw in the debates there was one very intelligent articulate candidate and one arrogant reductivist from a town called Crawford. Possibly the electorate actually chose the shrub (though I am doubtful any of us had much to do with the outcome) and an idiot received his mandate to trash freedom. Let us hail peole like Mr. Palast who speak out against the insurgents in the White House. NBC only has lies and soundbites for the Yahoos.
  
  
  
• Follow the trail of money by the stench.
  By A111BH1GN0D33Z on 2005-01-19
  As I watched the documentary "The Bush Family Fortunes" one phrase kept coming into my head, 'Conflict of Interest'--those in power shouldn't profit--directly or indirectly--from the political policies they enact, so eyebrows should be raised (let alone jail sentences given) for the stinky deals this film uncovers. I must be naive. I find the entire Enron/Bush, Saudi/Bush, Bin Laden/Bush, Carlyle/Bush, Harken/Bush, Silverado/Bush connections (and I could continue ad nauseam here) putrid.
  
  Investigative reporter, Greg Palast follows the money trail from the pockets of Saudi Billionaires, Oil Billionaires, Billionaire contractors, & those ever dedicated lobbyists to the deep pockets of the Bush campaign fund and then back to all the little gifts, favours and awards meted out by the various Bush administrations as "they stand and deliver" to the loyal Bush buds. Some of this is amusing--for example, when G.W. Bush denies knowing Ken Lay personally (of Enron Infamy), and yet nicknamed Ken Lay "Kenny Boy". It would be even more amusing if it weren't so nauseating. As Palast explains, this is a "dynasty" and "money gets them the office, and the office gets them more money." I particularly enjoyed watching Bush make the White House press conference statement about Enron: "In the corporate world, sometimes things aren't exactly black and white." Yes, well, the Bush Dynasty seem to have mined that lucrative grey area very, very well.
  
  Part of the documentary focuses on G.W, Bush's 'war record', and so some of this documentary wasn't new to me. G.W.'s glorious landing on the aircraft carrier, the Abraham Lincoln was also covered here--remember that was when G.W. made his now-famous 'end of major operations' speech about Iraq on May 2, 2003, and here we are in 1/05--more than 1,225 body bags later and still counting (and I can't include the numbers of Iraqi dead as the numbers just aren't there for some peculiar reason). We get more details about that photo op fiasco, and exactly what it took to get that perfect landing. I particularly enjoyed watching G.W. in his military togs, surrounded by military personnel, and in an uncandid moment, his eyes shifting as he tried to locate the camera.
  
  And lest we not forget, the other Bush siblings, Neil, Jeb and Marvin, are all mentioned here. It pays to have friends in high places. And there are other juicy tidbits. Palast argues that the invasion of Iraq was planned well before 9-11, and there's an interview with General Jay Garner who claims he was fired after calling for immediate elections in Iraq and replaced with Paul Bremmer. Then there's footage of Bush announcing Operation Iraqi Liberation (O.I.L). Interesting acronym ...
  
  The documentary is only 60 minutes long--it's a distillation of a longer BBC series, and also based on Palast's book. Unfortunately, as Greg Palast explains in the 10 minute extra interview at the end of the film, he cannot "get through the electronic Berlin wall" and is unable to get material on US television, so he resorts to "swimming across the Atlantic" to report stories--displacedhuman
  
  
• Solid investigating
  By A1EOEYW5SMC6CV on 2005-03-11
  But... there's nothing really new here. We all know W's silver spoon career. We all know the Bin Laden connection, the false Christianity he "pushes". Palast's on-camera style almost borders on himself playing some kind of character with his pursed lips and his dramatic looks to the camera can sometimes make you laugh at the seriousness of his personality. All the Bush mess is revealed here, I have already heard everything thats shown here, but even as it's hard to believe some people haven't. And the mainstream media won't touch this kind of stuff. It rocks the money boat too much. If you don't already know about all this, get out from under your rock and rent or buy this.
  
  
• THIS DVD IS SUPERB AND IT EXPOSES THE LIES
  By A204DEVUGO7L6T on 2005-08-14
  THIS DVD IS SUPERB!!! YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW BUSH AND COMPANY ARE MAKING OUT LIKE BANDITS WITH THIS IRAQ WAR, WHILE OUR BRAVE SONS AND DAUGHTERS ARE DYING FOR BUSH'S LIES. BUSH LIES SO HIM AND HIS CLOSE BIG BUSINESS COMPANIES THAT HE IS AFFILIATED WITH GAIN MORE AND MORE WEALTH FROM THE BUSINESS OF WAR. GREED AND EVIL ARE MASKED BY THE FAKE CHRISTIANS THEY PRETEND TO BE. BUSH TAKES AWAY FROM THE POOR AND GIVES HUGE TAX CUTS TO THE RICHEST AMERICANS! AS FAR AS I KNOW CHRISTIANS SHOULDN'T LIE AND SEND OUR INNOCENT BRAVE SONS AND DAUGHTERS INTO AN IRAQ WAR BASED ON ALL LIES, ALSO 9 11 IS A LIE, BUT YOU WILL HAVE TO DO RESEARCH WITH OTHER AMAZON DVDS AND BOOKS TO FIND OUT MORE.
  GREAT DVD!
  
  
• Good intentions are not enough
  By A20GMHXIG5SYSY on 2004-10-31
  Although I have political sympathies very close to the creators of this film, I found the film to be amateurish, insubstantial, melodramatic and over-blown. The BBC correspondent that is followed by the camera, Greg Palast, gives the impression of being over his head. We watch him wander from place to place while he spouts his shock and contempt, but it's all very unconvincing. He's not very articulate, apparently had a research budget of about $22.00, and doesn't seem very knowledgeable (at least by BBC standards). The film is so sophomoric, it almost looks more like a college film project than a product of the BBC.
  
  If you really want to know how Bush got to be President, buy a good book. This film is a waste of time and money.
  
  
• A Doc about Bush and not exactly his family
  By A29X6M1DTJIVEC on 2005-08-12
  I found this documentary left out some information about the Bush family that I thought would be included. The documentary did not cover George W. Bush's grandfather's working relationship with the Nazi party during the second world war. Nor did the doc spend much time on the rest of George's relatives and family members. The doc didn't include as much information as I thought that it would and the material that it covered has already been covered in other documentaries like Fahrenheit 9/11. The host of the documentary had to assert his fedora for no reason which was more distracting and annoying to see in what I expected to be a hard hitting, serious documentary.
  
  
• Every American should watch this.
  By AM0QLU79O05JR on 2006-01-23
  This is the true and easily found story of the Bush family history of looting this country. You won't get it from the mainstream corporate owned media even though the information is right there for them to pick up.
  
  
• Better documented than "Fahrenheit 9-11"
  By AHSBEMIR6WUC2 on 2006-06-25
  I have remained somewhat skeptical about the claim that the Republicans stole the 2000 Presidential election. That is until now. This documentary is similar in content to "Fahrenheit 9-11", but with more evidence to support the claims made. I treat Michael Moore's works with some skepticism ("Fahrenheit 9-11" did not convince me Bush stole the election), so I need some proof when dealing with this issue. Greg Palast provided more paper evidence to support the claims that the Republican party in Florida stole the presidential election. His uncovering of documentary evidence concerning Negroes who were wrongly identified as criminals because they similar names to people convicted of crimes elsewhere left me speechless.
  
  One problem I had with "Fahrenheit 9-11" was that Michael Moore cut a lot of quotations out of context and showed brief quotations that caused me to doubt whether the quote was relevant to the point being made or taken out of context. "Bush Family Fortunes" did not do much of that. Most quotes where show with a context (a few near the end weren't). This gave them more credibility in my opinion.
  
  Greg Palast also covers Bush's Vietnam war record, Bush family corporate connections, the war in Iraq, and Bush family connections to the Bin Laden family.
  
  Interesting enough, he does recognize that the Democrats are just as bad as the Republicans in politics, so for those who accuse him of being a liberal propagandist, pay attention to his criticism of the Democrats and the American two party system. It is very brief, and some of it is contained in the interview, not the main documentary,
  
  
  

• Uncovered - The Whole Truth About the Iraq War
• Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers
• Unconstitutional - The War On Our Civil Liberties
• Terrorstorm - A History of Government Sponsored Terrorism
• Noam Chomsky - Distorted Morality: America's War on Terror?