Via Josh Marshall's TalkingPointsMemo.com...
Bill Clinton and his people have sent YET ANOTHER letter to Rober Iger at Disney today, Monday September 11th. Although it seems to have been written last night, right after they watched the broadcast. They were NOT happy.
Most heated word: "disgraceful."
But watch for the real magic word: "defame."
Full text below...
September 10, 2006
Dear Bob,
We are deeply disappointed that ABC and the Disney Corporation chose to air "The Path to 9/11." The final product was fraught with error and contained contrived scenes that are directly contradicted by the findings of the 9/11 Commission Report. The film has undoubtedly cemented in millions of viewers' minds a false impression of critical historical events.
While there is not enough room here to fully document the fiction in your film, attached to this letter is a detailed fact sheet listing the numerous inaccuracies in the film according to the 9/11 Commission.
Nine days ago, we wrote to you asking simply that the miniseries tell the truth, as researched extensively and definitively by the bipartisan 9/11 Commission. We asked that your network not present outright fiction as historical fact to the American public. In fact, we took pains to detail sequences in the movie that were plainly invented, based upon the version of the film that was shown to television critics and distributed to many conservative commentators. During our two recent conversations, you assured us that you were personally taking the responsibility to ensure that appropriate edits to the film would be made. Publicly, ABC said that the editing process was ongoing and that it was irresponsible" to condemn the film before seeing the finished product.
Having now seen the first night of this fiction, it is clear that the edits made to the film did not address the factual errors that we brought to your attention. "The Path to 9/11" flagrantly ignored the facts as reported by the 9/11 Commission and invented its own version of history. The result, in our judgment, is irreparable damage to the Commission's work. More importantly, it is a disservice to the American people.
That the film directly contradicts the findings of the 9/11 Commission is troubling. That it defames dedicated public officials is tragic. But the fact that it misleads millions of people about the most tragic and consequential event in recent history is disgraceful.
Sincerely,
Bruce R. Lindsey
Chief Executive Officer
William J. Clinton Foundation
Douglas J. Band
Counselor to President Clinton
Office of William Jefferson Clinton
Absolutely the right thing to do. He keeps the legal option open with "defame," giving them yet another taste of what might be coming, since they chose to be GOP propagandists and ignore all pleas for decency.
But he then shames them morally with the last sentence (in italics -- mine), and rightly so.
They were warned, and they decided to piss all over the memory of 9-11 and its victims, and for any chance of unity in this country on the 5th anniversary of the attacks....and all for cheap political purposes. And they pissed off Bill Clinton, big-time.
Not a good move. Clinton, for all his failings, is infinitely more popular with Americans now than anyone in the Bush administration, or the GOP congress. He's actually one of the most beloved ex-Presidents ever.
Very dumb, Mouse. But you can't say you weren't warned.
(By the way -- I looked to see if this had been diaried already, and didn't see it. But if it has, please let me know and I'll delete it faster than Rush Limbaugh running to a bowlful of hillbilly heroin.)