the_plunk ([info]the_plunk) wrote,
@ 2009-07-07 20:03:00
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Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!
Robert McNamara died yesterday and I didn't see anybody mention it anywhere. If you don't know who he was or why people feel about him the way that they do, it's worth your time to watch this:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8653788864462752804

Actually, it's worth it to watch this documentary anyway because it provides some really penetrating insight into McNamara and the mentality of the Cold War period. It's also a pretty solid example of documentary filmmaking.

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[info]gakushikiyutaka
2009-07-08 09:26 am UTC (link)
I always thought he was a fascinating person (and even more so after seeing fog of war). I can totally understand his horror in retrospect at taking a mentality of rational analysis out of the context of commerce and moving into the context of war where it meant that more people would die. One can only hope that all men in his position have the strength of character to look back at the things that they did which such a critical eye. Hopefully people take your advice and spend a little time watching your link.

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[info]the_plunk
2009-07-10 02:25 am UTC (link)
The most striking parts of the documentary for me are the ones where he describes meeting his Cuban and Vietnamese counterparts years later and learning each time that he had misunderstood key aspects of the situations he was facing.

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[info]gakushikiyutaka
2009-07-10 11:17 am UTC (link)
Definitely. I think that kind of asymmetrical knowledge problem is a really fascinating one. It seems like its essentially inescapable in war (or politics) but I wonder if its any different today with the aid of more real time information. It gives me more respect for very successful military strategists in history who were able to achieve great things without the benefits of tech.

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