The mythologizing of war from Vietnam to Iraq.

THROUGHOUT U.S. HISTORY there have always been political leaders, convinced of the nation's manifest destiny, who urged unconditional acceptance of war's necessity and warrant. During the Vietnam Era, for example, our national conscience was assailed in earnest by the equating of patriotism and civic responsibility with a blind and unquestioning participation in and support for the war in Southeast Asia. Following a post-Vietnam malaise, with the resurgence of a Ronald Reagan-inspired nationalism, and no longer deterred by a Soviet threat of retaliation, policy makers enthusiastically embraced the military option as a viable and attractive tool of foreign policy. Consequently, to encourage public tolerance--perhaps even exuberance--for war as an extension of diplomacy, these opportunists successfully portrayed as unpatriotic, even treasonous, the equally important duties of citizenship to evaluate, legally and ethically, the causes and justifications for war, and to speak out and dissent against wars they found immoral, unjust, and inexpedient. This was often accomplished through public lies, deceit, and misinformation; intimidation and manipulation of the media; and a general exploitation and exacerbation of fears and paranoia regarding threats from enemies foreign and domestic.

An important aspect of this process has been the attempt to distort the reality of war. This mythologizing move is multifaceted. First, it contrives the illusion that war is necessary to defend the country from some absolute evil. Second, it portrays war as antiseptic, discouraging or preventing any media reporting that would reveal its inevitable horrors. Third, it appropriates religious rhetoric to depict war as a holy crusade against evil, encouraging participation as righteous, glorious, honorable, and heroic. Fourth, it blurs the distinction between the enterprise of war and those human beings who do the fighting, killing, and dying. Fifth, it seeks the silence and compliance of those most likely to realize the deception--members of the military, veterans, and gold star family members who have experienced the horror and consequences firsthand--by heinously exploiting their pain, suffering, and grief. Finally, it seeks support for the war, or at…