Abc Tells Of Cia Drive To Unseat Hussein
The networks have become efficient at producing prime-time news hours, mainly in the form of newsmagazines that consist of stories that are too long or too soft for the evening news.
ABC, however, regularly delivers in-depth, hourlong reports under the banners of “Turning Point” and “Peter Jennings Reporting.” Jennings’ latest effort is “Unfinished Business - The CIA and Saddam Hussein” at 10.
The report shows that since 1991, the U.S. government has attempted to finish what was left undone by Operation Desert Storm - the overthrow of Iraqi dictator Hussein.
Gone are the days that the CIA made tidy work of such problems through assassination. But Jennings shows how the intelligence agency has worked since 1991 to encourage Hussein’s overthrow by revolutionary forces or by members of his own military.
The revelation is that when a coup was mounted last August, the United States abruptly withdrew support, allowing Hussein to launch a military strike that crushed the opposition.
Jennings interviews former CIA Director John Deutch and other U.S. officials, pressing hard on what seems to have been a costly, contradictory and counterproductive campaign.
It’s solid journalism, filled with evident truths that leave those entrusted with foreign policy unable to credibly deny their failure.
Highlights
“High Incident,” ABC at 8: Officers face suspicion when $50,000 is stolen from the property room. Also, Bronson Pinchot (“Perfect Strangers”) guest-stars as one of two ruthless sports agents trying to get their hooks into a naive young athlete (Marcus Mitchell). Repeat.
“Friends,” NBC at 8: Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) is reunited with her former singing partner (E.G. Daily), who wants to turn “Smelly Cat” into a commercial jingle. Meanwhile, Chandler (Matthew Perry) dates a woman (Sherilyn Fenn, “Twin Peaks”) with a prosthetic leg. Repeat.
“Vital Signs,” ABC at 9: The network repeats the series premiere, a collection of intriguing medical crises. Not many tuned into this derived series that served up superficial re-creations.
“Seinfeld,” NBC at 9: There’s some very funny stuff here as George (Jason Alexander) finds the perfect recipient for a Susan Ross scholarship - a nerdy, underachieving teenager with uncanny similarities to George himself. Repeat.
“Mystery!” KSPS at 8: In “Maigret and the Minister,” the chief inspector (Michael Gambon) investigates the theft of a safety report that preceded a deadly building collapse. Repeat.
“48 Hours,” CBS at 10: A report reviews a 1995 racially motivated murder by white soldiers that some say the Army and the FBI might have prevented.
Cable Calls
“Dead Ringer” (1964), AMC at 5:35 and 11:35: An evening of Bette Davis flicks includes this dark but almost campy thriller in which Davis plays two sisters, one of whom kills the other and assumes her identity. Karl Malden and Peter Lawford co-star, with Lawford as a delightfully sleazy playboy.
“King Ralph” (1991), USA at 9: John Goodman (“Roseanne”) is right for the role of a two-bit lounge entertainer who discovers he’s an heir to the British throne. You know what I mean - big, crude, lovable American thrown in with a bunch of snooty Brits.
But you know where it’s going from the get-go, and it proves to be a royal bore.
Talk Time
“Tonight,” NBC at 11:35: Actor Will Smith and singer Tom Jones.
“Late Show With David Letterman,” CBS at 11:35: NBC/MSNBC news anchor Brian Williams and violinist Gil Shaham.
“Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher,” ABC at 12:35 a.m.: Wil Shriner and Dr. Cary Savitch, the author of “AIDS: Why There Is No Cure.”
“Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” NBC at 12:35 a.m.: Musical guest del Amitri.