Many politicians and pundits have told us that “Iraq is not Vietnam.” Certainly, any competent geographer would agree.

Substantively, the histories of Iraq and Vietnam are very different. And the dynamics of U.S. military intervention in the two countries -- while more similar than the American news media generally acknowledge -- are far from identical.

Iraq is not Vietnam. But the United States is the United States.

War after war, decade after decade, the U.S. news media have continued to serve those in Washington who strive to set the national agenda for war and lay down flagstones on the path to military intervention.

From the U.S. media’s fraudulent reporting about Gulf of Tonkin events in early August 1964 to the fraudulent reporting about supposed Iraqi weapons of mass destruction in the first years of the 21st century, the U.S. news media have been fundamental to making war possible for the United States.

We need to confront the roles of the corporate media in helping to drag the United States into one war after another. In a country with

As the New Orleans disaster recedes from the headlines, citizen activists face a choice. We can focus exclusively on other newer issues. Or we can work to make the disaster one of those key turning points with the potential to transform American politics. For this to happen, we need to consciously create new dialogue, reaching well beyond the core converted.

If we think back to the 9/11 attacks, which have shaped American politics ever since, a brief window of critical reflection opened up in their immediate wake. Middle East experts critical of U.S. policies had op-eds in our largest newspapers and appeared on network TV. Ordinary citizens mourned the victims, while asking what would make the attackers so embittered they'd be willing to murder 3,000 innocent people. The next day, when I spoke about possible root causes, with even more frankness than usual, at a community college in the overwhelmingly Republican suburbs just north of Dallas, the response was amazingly receptive.

But by a few weeks later visible public questioning had largely ceased. Most Americans accepted the Bush administration's definition of a war of absolute

“It wouldn't surprise me if the election was rigged,” said a U.S. Army officer in Mosul who requested anonymity from Time and who worked on security arrangements for the poll with Iraqi security and election officials. “I don't even trust our election process.”

If democracy is supposed to provide legitimacy to government – what does a fraudulent election provide? The U.S. occupation, already suffering a host of problems – false reasons for the invasion, lack of international support, wanning support in the U.S., Abu Gharib prison scandals, the Fallujah attack, the killing of civilians, a strengthening insurgency, lack of support by former generals and foreign service officers, and generals on the ground saying the presence of U.S. troops are increasing the strength of the insurgency – now has a voting scandal on its hands.

Thanks for the on-site report of the stolen Ohio, etc. vote. But when I tried to forward this a dozen people I know who would appreciate this info, I find your web guy has limited the number addresses you can input to only TWO! Help. Who has time to enter two at a time and then start all over or am I missing something?

Hello,

I didn't see the articles that you refer to in your piece b/c I don't read mother jones or tom paine's website. But I just wanted to send the criticism your way that you folks shouldn't act as if the left is not embracing that the election was stolen. You guys are obviously aware that Jon Conyers, Ralph Nader, David Cobb, Amy Goodman, Jesse Jackson and many other notables of the left have supported your ideas about the election. I think also In These Times has printed articles on the stolen election, and articles on the voting fraud have been up on commondreams.org and buzzflash.com. So anyway keep on keeping on, your latest piece that I have seen is informative like all your articles, and i think a good portion of the left does believe that the Republicans stole the 2004 election. I wonder how long elections have been stolen in this country I don't know if anyone has done the investigating/research to answer that. I of course don't know the full extent to which your efforts are being attacked and undermined by your supposed comrades at arms, but I think you have more support than you realize.

All the best,

-Sean