Articles by Greg Guma

Each year, as fireworks celebrate the Declaration of Independence and people discuss how the United States began, the spotlight normally turns to "revolutionary" leaders and the "armed struggle" waged more than two centuries ago. But as usual, the real story is a bit different. The movement toward independence in the "new world" actually began a decade before the "shot heard round the world" and involved thousands of people. By the time things turned violent, substitute governments and firm alliances were operating in nine colonies.

When Ralph Nader announced his fourth bid for the US presidency on NBC in February 2004, shortly after Howard Dean's insurgent Democratic campaign imploded, he described his goal as building a "second front" in the fight to defeat George W. Bush. "Can we tolerate four more years of Bush," he asked rhetorically, answering with a no. In a June letter to contributors, he wrote, "No one wants to defeat George W. Bush more than I do."

A highly ambitious Congresswoman (Michelle Pfeiffer), a tough-as-nails ex-warrior (Laurence Fishburne), and a charismatic young turk (Ben Affleck) are fighting for the presidential nomination. Sound vaguely familiar? It's Momentum II, a better-than-the-real-thing political thriller that answers the question: Just how far will candidates go to get elected?