Norman Solomon

Dan Rather caused some ripples the other day when he lamented the state of U.S. news media. The former CBS anchor said "there is a climate of fear running through newsrooms stronger than he has ever seen in his more than four-decade career," according to the Hollywood Reporter. Speaking at a law school in New … Continue reading “The Occasional Media Ritual of Lamenting the Habitual”

The New York Times began this week with an editorial that typifies the media mindset of the warfare state. Monday’s editorial warns of dire consequences from a growing deficit that has been boosted by tax cuts – in combination with "the pre-Katrina priorities laid down by Mr. Bush." Those priorities include a U.S. military budget … Continue reading “Confronting the Warfare State”

"The specter of Vietnam has been buried forever in the desert sands of the Arabian peninsula," President George H. W. Bush said of the Gulf War victory in early 1991. He told a gathering of state legislators, "It’s a proud day for America – and, by God, we’ve kicked the Vietnam syndrome once and for … Continue reading “Beyond the ‘Vietnam Syndrome’”

Traveling from New York City in late September 2001, on a pre-scheduled book tour, author Joan Didion spoke with audiences in several cities on the West Coast. In the wake of 9/11, she later wrote, "these people to whom I was listening – in San Francisco and Los Angeles and Portland and Seattle – were … Continue reading “9/11 and the Manipulation of America”

For President Bush, a classic political question – "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?" – must be answered with a resounding "No." In 2001, within days of 9/11, mass media touted Bush as a walking FDR and hailed him as the nation’s visionary leader. The president settled into a jerky … Continue reading “‘Bush the Protector’ vs. ‘Bush the Menace’”

The man in the Oval Office is fond of condemning "killers." But his administration continues to kill with impunity. "They can go into Iraq and do this and do that," Martha Madden, former secretary of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, said Thursday, "but they can’t drop some food on Canal Street in New Orleans, … Continue reading “Ending the Impunity of the Bush White House”

The men and women of the National Guard shouldn’t be killing in Iraq. They should be helping in New Orleans and Biloxi. The catastrophic hurricane was an act of God. But the U.S. war effort in Iraq is a continuing act of the president. And now, that effort is hampering the capacity of the National … Continue reading “The National Guard Belongs in New Orleans and Biloxi”

Over the weekend, a spectrum of liberal responses to Cindy Sheehan came into sharper focus. The message is often anti-Bush… but not necessarily antiwar. Frank Rich spun out his particular style of triangulation in the New York Times. While deriding President Bush’s stay-the-course stance, Rich also felt a need to disparage the most visible advocate … Continue reading “Triangulation for War”

The Bush administration may ratchet up the Iraq war. That might seem unlikely, even farfetched. After all, the president is facing an upsurge of domestic opposition to the war. Under such circumstances, why would he escalate it? A big ongoing factor is that George W. Bush and his top aides seem to believe in red-white-and-blue … Continue reading “Close the Door on Escalation”

The day after Wednesday night’s nationwide vigils, the big headline at the top of the MoveOn.org home page said: "Support Cindy Sheehan." But MoveOn does not support Cindy Sheehan’s call for swift withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Many groups were important to the success of the Aug. 17 vigils, but the online powerhouse MoveOn … Continue reading “MoveOn’s Soft Stance on Iraq”