Video: Pat Dollard on Iraq, media bias, and George Clooney
posted at 2:38 pm on February 10, 2007 by Allahpundit
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He used to be Steven Soderbergh’s agent. Then he went off to the sandbox with his camera and embedded with the Marines in Ramadi, home base for Al Qaeda in Iraq. He shot a pro-war documentary there called “Young Americans” and along the way got blown out of a humvee when it was hit by a roadside bomb. There’s a photo of the wreckage at his website.
Pat Dollard, interesting guy.
The left naturally hasn’t forgiven him his career change. The latest example is Vanity Fair dropping a 10,000-word hit piece on him, which occasioned his appearance last night on “Red Eye.” Kudos to Gut and Levy for having him on. Here he explains why a Hollywood millionaire would want to get in the ring with terrorists and just how big of a jackass George Clooney really is.
He also has kind words for star embed bloggers Bill Roggio, Michael Fumento, and Michael Yon, the last of whom was at the ceremony earlier today in which Gen. Casey surrendered command to Gen. Petraeus. The first results from the surge are not encouraging, but Yon writes in his e-mail:
Anyone who knows much about General Petraeus might agree that David Petraeus seems to have been born and raised to win this particular war. Frankly, the odds seem nearly impossible. Iraq is broiling and it’s getting worse. But there are glimmers of hope, and I see those glimmers with my own eyes here in Iraq. Troop moral is still good to high, and Iraqi Security Forces are improving, for instance. But make no mistake: America has asked David Petraeus to walk into a burning barn and perform brain surgery on a dying patient. If it can be done, David Petraeus is our man. The odds are against him. Personally, I am betting on General Petraeus, his staff, and the great number of hard-minded people who believe Iraq can stand again. This means I am betting for the good guys, and against the terrorists.
Iraqslogger has the transcript of Petraeus’s remarks. Money quote: “A decisive moment approaches.”
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Thanks AllahP for posting this. This is why I come here, I did not know of this man. Dollard’s website is a great read! Thankyou Pat Dollard for your important work.
infidel on February 10, 2007 at 3:05 PM
Any word on when or if his doc is going to be released? I’ve seen the trailer and it looks strong.
billy on February 10, 2007 at 3:07 PM
He forgets the added element of walking into the barn with 10,000 angry, politically motivated bees with cameras buzzing around him. The Press will not allow Petraeus to win, not if they can help it.
spmat on February 10, 2007 at 3:18 PM
Quoting the AP? Bwahahahahahaha!!!!! I’m curious, have they produced Jamil Hussein yet? Or is he one of the sources for this article?
Capitalist Infidel on February 10, 2007 at 3:29 PM
When does this Red Eye show air? I’ve never seen it on before.
freakagriep on February 10, 2007 at 3:35 PM
He was good, but how about that Neil Hamburger, huh?
Jim Treacher on February 10, 2007 at 3:40 PM
It airs at 2 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, instead of Shep’s repeat.
Jim Treacher on February 10, 2007 at 3:42 PM
On Dollard’s website there are five vid clips in the video section.
infidel on February 10, 2007 at 3:48 PM
Just got through watching Pat’s Videos at his website. I think is a must see. Even with a war going on, and people getting shot, the humor these Marines have will put a smile on your face at times, not like a comedy, but things your friends would say. Guess you have to laugh to keep sane.
http://patdollard.com/young-americans click on videos if you have to see the videos.
StuLongIsland on February 10, 2007 at 3:49 PM
“I’m brave because I spoke out against the president and I might have to fire a servent in my Italian villa”
That’s brave alright - Dixie Chicks brave!
Entelechy on February 10, 2007 at 5:03 PM
I read an article in Maxim like 4 months ago, written by Dollard, talking about his upcoming documentary. It was such a large topic and (at the time, not sure about now) he had a bunch of video clips posted at his site, I never got around to blogging it. Glad he’s finally getting some press, let’s hope it doesn’t end with Red Eye.
What I specifically remember about his article in Maxim is him saying that he’s got tons of those serving bravely in Iraq who say “f**k you” to their liberal saviors who want to pull them out.
Anyway, does anyone else wonder why 99% of the public has never heard of him or his documentary? I haven’t done a poll, but come on…. you know no one has heard of this.
RightWinged on February 10, 2007 at 5:04 PM
Could we be seeing a slight, barely detectable, swing in momentum in favor of America?
More blogger embeds equal 20/20 view of the war…
Zorro on February 10, 2007 at 5:35 PM
Nice. Well done.
Jaibones on February 10, 2007 at 5:36 PM
I have a subscription to VF, that I am letting run out. I can understand that they are against the war, but to put so much effort into the hate, month after month, is just beyond my comprehension!
As usual, great post AP! :)
Pam on February 10, 2007 at 5:47 PM
I read that story in Maxim too RW and what you said was also the same thing that stuck in my mind, pretty much the thing I remember from it was that the Troops told him to tell their liberal “saviors” or “rescuers” (or whatever word he used) to F off hahahahahaaaaaa!
Tony737 on February 10, 2007 at 6:33 PM
That’s going to be one intense documentary
SilverStar830 on February 10, 2007 at 8:45 PM
I love that story about George Clooney patting himself on the back as being brave for speaking against President Bush. I have noticed so many leftists-fifth columnists-liberals bragging at how brave they are for opposing the US, Christian bigots, President Bush, the news media, and so on, when all along they are imagining the entire thing.
They claim that free speech is stifled in the US and that the news on the war is sanitized, not reporting anything negative or any death or injury or violence. That is complete nonsense!
Which planet, planetary system, and galaxy are these people living in?
All the news media reports on Iraq, Bush, the War against Jihadi assault on civilization, and so on, is negative, hatefilled, fabricated, twisted, bias against them.
These people are legends in their own minds.
William
William2006 on February 10, 2007 at 8:55 PM
He is so great and has big balls to walk into danger to find out for himself and for us. If you haven’t seen his site, check it out. it impressed me enough to write a post about it last year. He knows his shit like Gutfeld knows funny.
JazzBass on February 10, 2007 at 9:08 PM
I have to echo infidel’s comment. I like to think I pay attention and keep up with things, but I never heard of this guy until this post. I have missed a brave man writing about being there. I will be spending time tomorrow on his site reading.
I have always laughed at those moron entertainers patting themselves on the back for how brave they are. If they want to impress me with their bravery, go over to saudi arabia and lecture them about women and gay rights. They won’t do that because it will actually entail real danger.
still468 on February 10, 2007 at 9:43 PM
Indeed. Now how do we get this thing the publicity given to F911 and Inconvenient Dog Sh**, or even Jesus Camp? That’s the real question as far as I’m concerned. People need to see this, but because it’s NOT full of America/Bush/Christian bashing, the world will never know.
RightWinged on February 10, 2007 at 10:31 PM
By the way, the Maxim article I mentioned earlier is actually available at Pat’s site now.
http://patdollard.com/press/maxim-interview/
Actually just checking his site out now because the last time I was there it was prehistoric looking. He’s obviously given the site a professional face lift and added a lot to it now.
Anyway, the actual quote from the Maxim article I attempted to recount from memory earlier is actually:
RightWinged on February 10, 2007 at 10:36 PM
Several months ago, when I first learned of Dollard and his project, I sent him some money to help get the documenary finished up in the hopes that he would get distribution set up before the November elections.
I really think that if his film had been out there, and the American People had been able to see it, it would’ve made a positive difference. I’m very much looking forward to the release and the reactions this film is going to provoke. Especially after all the arkin bs.
techno_barbarian on February 10, 2007 at 10:44 PM
America hasnt lost her nerve.The MSM is hammering away saying she has lost her nerve.The problem is that too many Americans still believe the MSM is trustworthy and objectly reporting the news.The days of trusting and hanging on every word evening newscasters say as gospel truth are over.As long as there is free speech,we can overcome this daily deluge of propaganda being spoon fed to the masses.
Mr.Dollard is correct when he talks about snipers.Both type snipers are out for the kill.One sniper is a terrorist,the other is the MSM.God bless our troops.
spazzmomma on February 10, 2007 at 11:20 PM
I have been following Pat Dollard’s work for some time. I think he is one feisty gutsy guy. Of course, he’ll never work in Hollywood again, but I am sure he knows that. He did the right thing knowing that. That puts him way up there in my opinion. God bless our troops.
Glynn on February 11, 2007 at 5:02 AM
Hey! In the second clip up on Dollard’s site I think I saw some “obscene amenities”!!!
A shrapnel pocked computer center…
Babs on February 11, 2007 at 9:16 AM
The question is, why are we still putting up with the MSM and their lies? The french stormed the Bastille; why haven’t Americans stormed the New York Times offices?
Every night, from the broadcast networks, to the “New Hour” on PBS to CNN, we see repeated outright lies, and overt pro-terrorist propaganda. Even when we catch liars and forgers like Dan Rather, the AP, and Reuters *IN* *THE* *ACT*, they ignore it and continue on their way.
Yes, their bottom line financials are starting to hurt because we’re tuning them out, but that doesn’t seem to click with their corporate owners.
If you have ever trained a dog you know that when the dog does something wrong, you give him a correction — a tug on the leash, or a scolding voice, or something. What kind of “correction” do we have to apply to the MSM? Complaining about their deliberate lies, their bias and blatant partisanship does nothing. In fact, you just know that the talking head morons and their producers are laughing at how the got us pissed off. You don’t think that at WaPo they are high fiving themselves for the uproar by us over their calling our soldiers “mercenaries?”
They neither respect their audience nor do they fear it.
What can we do to instill a realization that they need to quit the anti-war, anti-military, anti-American posture they have (the one they’ve had since Vietnam) and return to the kind of reporting made famous by Ernie Pyle.
Ernie Pyle, America’s best-known WWII correspondent, said “Every reporter is a citizen of somewhere and a believer in something.”
HOW do we get our media to be Americans again? How do we get them to believe that their job is to TELL THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH and NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH and leave the leftwing propaganda behind?
georgej on February 11, 2007 at 11:44 AM
FNC should promote RedEye more.
And when I say “more” I mean “with 30sec TV ads and web banners and leverage their vast network of print, TV, and the web..”
ScottMcC on February 11, 2007 at 12:48 PM
You are right on target!
Americans haven’t stormed the MSM due to their collective:
1. stupidity;
2. apathy;
3. laziness borne of ignorance, or;
4. fear.
Quite so - so the answer is to make them totally irrelavent; i.e. quit advertising in their papers, quit buying their papers, quit the advertising and/or subscription to their web service, etc..
without income, they are without jobs, without jobs, they have no venue with which to spew their hatred.
We should only be so lucky to have reporters of the same stripe as Ernie Pyle. He was an extreme truth teller.
Perhpas by reinforcing that without those they hate (i.e. soldiers), they themselves would not enjoy the freedom to be stupid and get paid for it by people even stupider than they are.
Either that or make them go unprotected and unescorted by our troops (after all, our soldiers have better things to do than protecting some POS who does not even appreciate them in the first place) into the battle zone from now on.
Emmett J. on February 11, 2007 at 1:47 PM
typed too fast - perhaps instead of perhpas.
Sorry ’bout that!
Emmett J. on February 11, 2007 at 1:49 PM
It’s because they believe their own hyperbolic propaganda. I mean if Bush=Hitler, then it IS brave to go up against him. If because of the NSA “surveillance” we are living in a fascist state, then of course it is brave to go against the president. I mean you might get picked up in the middle of the night by little men wearing jackboots and spirited away in a black spaceship that looks like a helicopter to a secret RNC concentration camp, where Susan Sarandon is carrying GW’s love child (and I saw a link on DU that “proves it” so don’t give me any of your nutroot bullsh*t). So yeah, you gotta be brave. You gotta be as brave as, um, like Sean Penn, man. He was in a movie about a soldier once.
smellthecoffee on February 12, 2007 at 12:00 AM
OOPS wingnut bullsh*t. And how could I leave out Rove from a lefty paranoid fantasy? Bed-time.
smellthecoffee on February 12, 2007 at 12:30 AM
Let me paraphrase:
Waaaa, whine whine, cry cry cry Left wing media, Main stream media, leaning to left, waaaaa waaaa waaaaa waaaa cry cry sniffle sniffle, main stream media, we lost our nerve (code Bush admin has nothing to do with the situation), waaaaa waaaa waaaaa cry cry whine whine whine the Deaths are all that bad (compared to what WWII, Vietnam, Korea).
Cry whine sniffle, George Clooney is a good guy with a reasonable message but he’s a jackass?
Yea F Clooney he is rich, famous and talented, jerk.
OH GOSH MAKE IT STOP. None of this is important. yes soldiers are brave, yes its way dangerous for reporters to walk or drive around. So what. Don’t you get tired of this propaganda and rhetoric.
Sure keep the left honest and call them on their reports and the facts or counter with facts and truth of your own that support you position (stay in Iraq forever). Great. Nothing this Gentleman says means a hill of beans and is a just double talking.
gmcjetpilot on February 12, 2007 at 1:22 AM
I gotta set the DVR up to tape this thing. Great stuff. Plus, it might piss of jetpilot up there to know that one more person is tuning in to watch people “whine”.
Fred on February 12, 2007 at 10:13 AM