"Washington has constructed a simple, heroic narrative of freedom and asked us to ignore the much messier human devastation and tragedies of this war," novelist Diana Abu-Jaber writes in the Washington Post of the U.S. war on Iraq. "There are angry outbursts against America across the Middle East, and most Americans have almost no idea why. ... Our news programming has been instrumental in the marketing of this war. ... When I said on one radio show that I've traveled throughout the Middle East as an American, with American friends, and have felt nothing from the Arabs but friendship and hospitality, I received an e-mail from one listener who wrote, 'Don't you know that Arabs hate us? It's all over the news.' Of course, if Arabs are systematically portrayed as an essentially hate-filled people, that makes the marketing of a very expensive war and occupation much easier to manage."