War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death Paperback - 2006

First line

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 over tactics and priorities.

From the rear cover

"A sobering and essential book that Americans should read, share, and discuss."
--JOHN STAUBER, coauthor of "Weapons of Mass Deception"

You've heard it all before, and you will no doubt hear it again. "Our leaders will do everything they can to avoid war." "They attacked us." "Our enemy is a modern-day Hitler." "This is all about human rights." And, at some point after these and other pronouncements had echoed through the media for weeks or months, American troops marched into Vietnam, Panama, or Iraq.

In "War Made Easy," Norman Solomon cuts through the dense web of spin to probe and scrutinize the key "perception management" techniques that have played huge roles in the promotion of American wars in recent decades. In addition to documenting a long series of deliberate misdeeds at the highest levels of power, it lays out important guidelines to help us distinguish elements in a propaganda campaign from actual news reporting. By following these simple suggestions, every citizen can become a savvy media critic and, perhaps, help the nation avoid the next costly and unnecessary war.

"An engaging book that helps explain how the myth-making machine works."
--"The Texas Observer"

"If you want to help prevent another war (Iran? Syria?), read War Made Easy now. This is a stop-the-presses book filled with mind-blowing facts about Washington's warmongers who keep the Pentagon budget rising."
--JIM HIGHTOWER, author of "Let's Stop Beating Around the Bush"

"A definitive historical text . . . an indispensable record of the real relationships among government authorities and media outlets."
--"The Humanist"

"Our media has a history of enabling Washington's foreign misadventures. Perhaps if enough people read--and act on--this book, it won't be so easy next time."
--MARK HERTSGAARD, author of "On Bended Knee: The Press and the Reagan Presidency"