WEDNESDAY: We thought of a very convincing film...

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2026

...when we saw Psaki speak with Pat Ryan: The late John Frankenheimer began his career with several remarkable movies. We'll let the leading authority explain:

John Frankenheimer  

John Michael Frankenheimer (February 1930 – July 2002) was an American film and television director, known both for his social dramas and his action/suspense pictures. Among his best-known theatrical film credits are Birdman of Alcatraz, The Manchurian Candidate (both 1962) [and] Seven Days in May, The Train (both 1964).

And so on from there. We recall being moved by Birdman of Alcatraz down at The Palm, when it came out, back when we were 14. That said, wow:

He had made the complex and brooding Manchurian Candidate when he was barely thirty. And then, just two years later, he made the highly convincing Seven Days in May.   

We flashed on that last film just last evening. Once again, the authority explains:   

Seven Days in May   

Seven Days in May is a 1964 American political thriller film, directed by John Frankenheimer and written by Rod Serling, who adapted Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II's 1962 novel. It is about a military–political cabal's planned takeover of the U.S. government after the president negotiates a disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union. The film stars Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Fredric March, and Ava Gardner. 

Written by Rod Serling! It even starred Ava Gardner, who had plainly been cast in the Ava Gardner role.

The authority calls it a "political thriller;" you can spot its topic yourself. We'd call it remarkably convincing, and we'd call it a very strong warning for us at this very dangerous time.

But yes! Seven Days in May convincingly shows Burt Lancaster in the role of a charismatic, angry Air Force general who is planning a coup d'etat with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  Luckily for the fate of the world, Kirk Douglas was in the film too.

The well-made film remains quite convincing. We thought of this very good movie just last evening as we watched The Briefing with Jen Psaki.  

Late in her hour, Psaki interviewed Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY), a member of the House Armed Services Committee. 

Ryan served as a military intelligence officer in the U.S. Army from 2004 to 2009. Before his election to Congress in 2022, he served as county executive in New York's Ulster County.

Ryan is quite solid. At this time, he's concerned about what could be on the horizon:

PSAKI (9/1/26): I could answer this myself, but I'm more interested in your thought. I mean, we're six months into this war. It seems like the only person who hasn't been fired is Pete Hegseth. Why do you think that is?  

RYAN: This is the question that actually, legit, keeps me up at night, which is why do you keep around a totally incompetent, clueless clown, frankly? And like, there aren't many good reasons to do that. There are some really scary reasons that allude to your question about troops being deployed under the Insurrection Act or, God forbid, around elections. 

So that's what really scares me. Not only are we losing this war, which pains me to say that, but we have to be honest that we are. But he's keeping around this guy, I think, for really dangerous, un-American contingencies. And so, we have to just up the pressure now.   

Ryan is nobody's dope. Is that why Hegseth remains where he is? "God forbid," for the possibility of having troops deployed in connection with some unnamed year's elections?   

Ryan is nobody's dope. We thought of a very convincing "political thriller" as we watched his full session with Psaki.