A real-life horror show with few surprises

"Torturing Democracy," the hard-hitting documentary that airs on Channel 2 tonight, followed its own tortured path to the airwaves. PBS gave the film, about the Bush administration's post-9/11 treatment of war detainees, a national airdate of Jan. 21 - after a new administration takes office. That led to some feverish conspiracy theories.

WGBH is one of many stations that has chosen to run the 90-minute film before the election. Whether it will sway votes is another matter, as the film is disturbing, but not surprising.

Yes, "Torturing Democracy," written and produced by Sherry Jones, highlights the deeply disturbing conditions at Guantanamo Bay and Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison. We see images of shackled men with covered heads and cowering in cells - sometimes in reenactments based on courtroom testimony. And we hear from disenchanted former military officials who warn of potential retaliation. "Our servicemen will suffer for years," one says.

Those already aghast at US policy will find their fears confirmed. But if Jones's goal is to sway the public at large, this film would be more convincing if it didn't play like an extended remix of a negative campaign ad. All the trappings are here: ominous music, deep-voiced narration, photos of Dick Cheney peeking out fiendishly from behind President Bush's head.

Seldom is the Bush administration's point of view represented. When it is, Cheney incriminates himself nicely. In one clip, he tells a reporter that Guantanamo prisoners are "very well treated down there. They're living in the tropics, they're well fed, they've got everything they could possibly want."

One hopes the panel discussion that follows the film provides more chance for point and counterpoint. It's possible, after all, to make a strong point and a balanced one at once.