'Fog of War' a true eye-opener

Winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary, "The Fog of War" is Errol Morris' gripping, chilling and most of all timely gaze into the life and mind of former United States Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. Posing as many questions as it answers, it leaves viewers somewhat stunned upon its conclusion.\nMcNamara served as Secretary of Defense during the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations, and was instrumental in most all operations involving the Vietnam conflict. This documentary is staged as a one-on-one interview with McNamara, once considered the world's most politically powerful man, in which he fields topics ranging from Lyndon Johnson's infamous taped Oval Office conversations to the possibility of nuclear war in the 21st Century (not to mention how close we came to it on several key dates in the 1960s). An edgy Philip Glass score only adds to the tension as this now 85-year-old man exposes his past actions layer by fascinating layer.\nDisc extras include 24 invaluable extended scenes from the film, and an intimate elaboration by McNamara on the key lessons he learned throughout his life in politics and the public eye.\nA point that McNamara never shies away from in "Fog" is that we should learn from our past mistakes in war and conflict. We now live in a world where Donald Rumsfeld holds the same frighteningly powerful position that McNamara held in the '60s, and, depending on your personal politics, both men's decisions in times of crisis can certainly be criticized. The key difference is that while Rumsfeld exudes an air of snottily pompous egotism, McNamara reveals himself to be a brilliant strategist who always had the nation's best interest in his heart and mind.