Selling war in a media age

"During the early years of the Iraq War, George W. Bush drew attention to the ways in which American presidents try to "sell" war to the public. The "Mission Accomplished" banner in 2003 and the misleading linkages of Saddam Hussein to the 9/11 terrorist attacks awoke many Americans to the techniques used by the White House to put the country on a war footing. Yet Bush was simply following in the footsteps of his predecessors, as the essays in this standout volume reveal in illuminating detail. Ever since William McKinley led the country to war with Spain in 1898, presidents have pioneered new methods for manipulating the media to manufacture consent for costly military and diplomatic ventures abroad. From the Spanish-American War to the War on Terror, each chapter in Selling War in a Media Age explores how modern presidents have attempted to influence, orchestrate, and coerce public understanding of matters of war and peace. The essays also demonstrate that these efforts often inspire skepticism and doubt among the public. Like the war in Iraq, Korea and Vietnam were hard wars to sell---as was the largely forgotten yet terribly brutal campaign for the Philippines in McKinley's day. The Cold War---essentially a fifty-year war---likewise required constant selling by every American president from Truman to Reagan. Even Franklin D. Roosevelt toiled to maintain public morale during World War II."--Jacket.