The author of this film, Danny Strong, conducted his "research" so as to avoid certain fundamental facts, most notably that Bill Daley and Warren Christopher did not "wimp out," and that Al Gore, not Ron Klain or others on the ground in Tallahassee, called the shots.More to the point, Strong put words in Christopher's mouth--words that create the impression that he didn't have the stomach for a fight--words that Christopher never uttered ("pure fiction" as he called it inthe New York Times).

Instead of providing to Daley and Christopher the same courtesies extended to others in the film, such as Klain and Baker (script review; scene approval; rough cut screening and, in Klain's case, access to the set), Strong waited until after shooting had begun to contact either Daley or Christopher, then refused to give a copy of the script to Christopher. He and HBO now disclaim any intention to lead the public to believe they they'll be viewing a faithful rendition of history, claiming that all they want to do is to convey “the essence of the truth,” as Strong has said. What he sidesteps, of course, is that the film is being sold to the public not as the “essence” of what happened in 2000 but as “the story of the 2000 presidential election.” Strong and HBO know that the public treats as fact what is fed to them as "docu-drama," embracing the tacit proposition that they are flies on the wall, witnessing historic events as they occurred. That what the public is consuming is an ounce of “docu” for every gallon of “drama” is an inconvenient truth, certainly for Danny Strong and HBO. And like it or not, what the viewers treat as fact becomes fact for others in this generation and those following.