I just finished watching the outstanding 2010 dramatic film “Fair Game”. the film tells the infamous story of how the corrupt Bush administration outted CIA agent Valerie Plame in retaliation for her husband Joe Wilson’s courageous exposure of the faked “Niger connection” (which Bush used as a pretense for war with Iraq). Needless to say, Sean Penn and Naomi Watts are outstanding as Wilson and Plame (and it doesn’t hurt that they look quite similar to Wilson and Plame.)
While political intrigue films generally have a hard time holding my attention, “Fair Game” was engrossing from beginning to end, a story of amoral pragmatism met by moral gusto. For me the pivotal moment comes in the kitchen of their family home: Valerie wants Joe to shut up because of the harm it is bringing on their family (remember, this is the same time that the Dixie Chicks were receiving death threats for expressing their frustration with George Bush). But Joe won’t back down: apparently Joe didn’t realize that the old adage “You can’t fight city hall” applied to the White House as well. Here’s how the dialogue unfolds:
Valerie: “You seriously think you can pick a fight with the White House and win? They’ll bury us.”
Joe: “They’ll bury us if we don’t. Listen Valerie.”
Valerie: “No you listen to me.”
Joe (shouting): “No, Valerie, Valerie, Valerie! Do I, does that make me right if I shout louder than you? If I shout louder than you am I right? If I’m the White House and I shout a million times louder than you, does that make me right? They lied Valerie, they lied. That’s the truth.”
