War Made Easy..... Norman Solomon....

[HysteryDiagnosis]

War Made Easy : How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death (Hardcover)
by Norman Solomon "News outlets may feature arguments about the wisdom of going to war in a particular place at a specific time, but these are usually differences..." (more)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471694797/ref%3Dpe%5Fsnp%5F797/002-8127018-7379242



Review
Media critic Solomon (Target Iraq: What the News Media Didn't Tell You) looks at the pro-war propaganda generated by the U.S. government during military interventions, emphasizing the influence of the media upon public opinion. He begins in 1965, when President Johnson crafted public messages as he sent troops to the Dominican Republic. Solomon claims that LBJ's handling of this invasion established the prototype for a media agenda employed by subsequent presidents to create public approval for their actions. He finds several formulaic messages that help persuade the public to support military intervention. These include portraying America as a fair and noble superpower, whose honest leaders work hard to avoid war, and the enemy leader as an aggressive, Hitler-like violator of human rights who will do much harm unless the United States intervenes. Solomon's timely analysis, which continues through the current war in Iraq, provides the public, analysts, and journalists with useful tips on how to evaluate the prewar messages of any administration, current or historical. Of interest to both public and academic libraries.-Judy Solberg, George Washington Univ. Libs., Washington, DC (Library Journal, July 15, 2005)