Weapons of Mass Deception Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber Tarcher/ Penguin p. 209
In its scant 209 pages, Penguin Publishing's "Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War in Iraq" attempts to expose the Bush administration's alleged manipulation of public opinion and the media in its case for the pre-emptive invasion of Iraq.
Authors Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber contend that a major factor in "selling" the war came from a series of misleading quotes to the media by top officials operating with conservative think-tanks and slick public relations firms. While Rampton and Stauber present many studies and articles to support their case, the book lacks strong narrative to form any solid conclusions based on the information provided.
"Weapons of Mass Deception" opens with a thought-provoking critique of the coverage surrounding the final days of the Iraqi war and the subsequent fall of Baghdad. This passage sets the tone for the rest of the book, carefully juxtaposing constructed government public relations campaign slogans against cold, unflinching facts. Among the policies Rampton and Stauber seek to debunk are the Bush administration's assertions of links between the Iraqi government and Al Qaeda, the government's allegations of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and the assertion of the Iraqi people's support of an American occupation.
Both authors seem very comfortable in their roles as investigative reporters, dissecting sound bytes by Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, Condoleeza Rice and Dick Cheney. However, when they seek to turn "Weapons of Mass Deception" into a hardcore political theory book in the chapters "The Air War" and "Double Speak," Rampton and Stauber do not change the light, pamphlet-like feel of their book. In essence, they try to turn a book that was meant to be an indictment against recent practices of deception in the highest level of government into a textbook on practices of propaganda, which ultimately confuses the reader.
In addition to inconsistencies in syntax, Rampton and Stauber insist on discussing civil rights infractions that have resulted from Sept. 11. This completely goes off track by cornering "Weapons of Mass Deception" as a book that desperately seeks liberal approval by condemning the atmosphere surrounding the Iraq war, rather than continuing to question the coverage and perception of the war itself. The tangent doesn't last very long by itself, but combined with the textbook-like portions of the book, distractions eat up a significant amount of the narrative and make the reader grow bored and impatient.
Overall, "Weapons of Mass Deception" is a mixed bag. Rampton and Stauber ultimately take a worthwhile idea and become overly ambitious in their attempts to illustrate glaring inconsistencies between global intelligence gathering and foreign policy. Still, both authors convey a great deal of information that has only been circulated in small circles. In a way, the book serves as a useful compilation of facts, if nothing else. If you have an interest in the war in Iraq, I'd recommend "Weapons of Mass Deception" as a non-essential alternative to the evening news.
