The War For Public Opinion

"In 1922, social critic Walter Lippmann wrote, 'Decisions in modern states tend to be made by the interaction, not of Congress and the executive, but of public opinion and the executive.' Never has this been truer than in the war on terrorism," writes Alternet senior editor Tamara Straus. "The Bush administration has justified its bombing campaign against Afghanistan not with a Congressional declaration of war, but with polls indicating that close to 90 percent of Americans want military action. How easy it must be to point at those numbers and claim, 'The public made us do it!'" Straus takes a closer look at media manipulation, the Bush administration, and public opinion in the US, Europe, and the Middle East.