Let’s be honest: most of us use YouTube for stuff like this:

The ‘promise’ of YouTube has not really been fulfilled yet, unless you’re desperate for videos of people talking right into their webcams, in which case YouTube completes you.

That all changes Monday. On Monday the Oscar nominated, Sundance winning documentary No End In Sight will debut, in full, on YouTube. You’ll be able to watch the entire film, about the failed American policies that turned Iraq into a quagmire of death and war, on the internet. The film will remain free on YouTube from Monday all the way through Election Day.

This is exciting. The film is available on DVD, but it’s obvious that more people will see it if it’s free on the internet, uninterrupted and without ads. This is an opportunity for a lot of people who wouldn’t think to rent a documentary to see a powerful indictment of US policy, an indictment that is incredibly timely as we head to the election.

It’s also exciting because this is the thing the internet should be for. It should be a way of reaching people with ideas instead of ads. It seems like the movie people have figured out how to utilize the web to sell us on their films, but this is one of the first times I’ve seen them utilize it to spread information.

No End In Sight will have its own YouTube channel, right here. I’ll be posting something on Monday to remind you that this exists.