Loopy

By Saul Landau

From grade school civics through university Poli Sci classes we learn about three branches of government, checks and balances and the other wonderful republican features designed by our Founding Fathers.

From news, however, we discover the CIA used systematic torture on suspected terrorists. Shocking — not surprise, but recognition! Torture follows illegal war, a collaboration of George W. Bush and Tony Blair, not Washington and Adams. We now know the dubious duo sought to put their kosher seal on spurious intelligence about Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction.

Skeptical members of the media, Parliament and Congress should have rejected sources such as “Curveball, a top Iraq scientist.” German intelligence told the CIA this “low level technician” lacked credibility.

With a bogus argument, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and their English counterparts set out to intimidate the skeptics inside government ministries. The media bought the twaddle. Hacks like Judith Miller working for the New York Times promoted sugar-coated government bullshit as front-page scoops. Miller also assured TV audiences that Saddam definitely had WMD.

People still shake their heads. How could journalists and officials buy this verbal fertilizer? Intimidation, answers “In the Loop,” a sinister, illuminating comedy. The new film offers a better lesson in government than anything we learned in school. Moviegoers witness vicariously the critical decisions involving war and peace getting made capriciously, without debate and dialogue in Washington or London. Driven by ambition, vanity, career advantages and totally bereft of morality — but always wrapped snuggly in the flag — screen actors show how press and foreign office officials presented doctored documents to prove Saddam had WMD.

“In the Loop” reveals the secondary layers of power, operating as deceitful servants of blind power. Members of this group could easily work for large corporations marketing cancerous products and selling them as safe and healthy.

Recall the Ford Pinto? “The car tended to erupt in flames in rear-end collisions,” Time reminded us. Ford officials defended their product, but, continues Time, “the Pinto is at the end of one of autodom’s most notorious paper trails, the Ford Pinto memo, which ruthlessly calculates the cost of reinforcing the rear-end ($121 million) versus the potential payout to victims ($50 million). Conclusion? Let ‘em burn.” (August 26, 2009)

“In the Loop” presents us with an update of such business practices used to sell war. The practitioners use New Age Cynicism, language reserved for government and corporate bureaucrats. “Fuck” becomes a verb, noun, adjective, adverb, command, wish and opening for prayer breakfasts.

This darkly hilarious prelude to the Iraq War features Downing Street’s media director, Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi), a pit bull with a cute Scottish accent. He roars, growls and screams “fuck you” at colleagues, superiors and strangers. He intimidates them into adopting the lies offered by the British Prime Minister and the U.S. President.

The top dogs decided “war is the answer.” They turned to the fraternity of treacherous, cruel, petty servants — our government — to make sure key players fell into line. The voters needed to see a convincing and patriotic united front before sacrificing their sons and daughter to folly.

Director Armando Iannucci uses Malcolm to show how a ranting spasm of threats and curses can intimidate ordinary bureaucrats and Cabinet ministers. Malcolm’s job entails neutralizing potential foes of his boss. In this case, after Tony Blair decided to give full support for Bush’s war against Iraq, Simon Foster (Tom Hollander), a minor Cabinet Minister, errs in a media interview. He says: “war is unforeseeable.” The disciplinarian, Malcolm, assails the wussy minister for his display of disunity.

The meek Minister tries to atone. In a subsequent interview he offers: “Britain might have to climb the mountain of conflict.” Malcolm explodes.

“You sound like a Nazi Julie Andrews.”

Penitence takes place in Washington. Pro and anti-war State Department factions manipulate Simon. This political and moral lightweight, however, accompanied by an unprincipled young staffer, have no idea about what to do as they face a historic occasion.

The staffer gets laid by an anti-war aide of an Assistant Secretary of State and, like his boss, falls victim to Washington’s glitter of power. How easy to change the minds of the middle echelons! Scare them and offer them career possibilities, so that the politics of war preparation can proceed apace: a film comedy with lessons.

A U.S. general (James Gandolfini) knows the horrors of combat. He joins the doves, but underneath, he is driven by the same careerist impulse that impels the other players in imperial Washington and London.

Treachery and debauchery vie with each other in this movie — as they do in the circles of power. In such an atmosphere, this film uses laughter to illuminate reality.

Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow and filmmaker. (Get his DVDS through roundworldproductions@gmail.com).