Powerful, if slightly familiar examination of how the US government lies to get us into war, and how the media goes along. Interesting to see the how Bush, Johnson, Reagan, and even Clinton used such similar language and techniques to manipulate public opinion, and how the media still doesn't generally ask the hard questions. However, it does get a bit repetitive, and it's not like we didn't know much this on the big picture level already. In some ways the Daily Show does it better, if with less historical perspective. None the less, these kind of examinations of our recent history are always worthwhile and thought-provoking.

Although I am a big supporter of Barack Obama and find him to be a great leader and inspirational person, as President he is continuing to war. He may have not started a war, and is winding down Iraq (troop pullout from Iraqi cities last month) -- but our involvement in Afghanistan was increased greatly, and we are bombing Pakistan (with drones, near the border). I guess being President requires exercising military might -- but I hope that Pres. Obama can help wind down the war machine. Interestingly enough, he has stated that he wants to rid the world of nuclear weapons and is at work on reducing the amount of stockpiles in the U.S., Russia, and elsewhere.Perhaps it is hard after a century of war, and only 7 years after 9/11, to not fight some battles. Change is not overnight...Terrific doc here.

I'm getting very tired of the Hollywood crowd trying to force opinion on the Iraq war. Everyone agrees war is bad but this movie is just a joke when it claims the USA's government only wants never-ending war since 1945 with no reason.This film conveniently skips over just and victorious combat like the "Operation Desert Storm" war when the USA liberated Kuwait from Saddam. It also ignores how Saddam continued to violate ceasefire agreements he had signed up until the day his control of Iraq was taken from him. That doesn't further the argument so let's go back to the "Weapons of Mass Destruction" thing. The war in Afghanistan isn't even mentioned once.. perhaps because the USA was victorious there too and we can't have that.I think the thing that bothered me most about this bit of bleeding heart liberal propaganda, complete with crying babies, was that they never bother to tell you why the USA is always promoting war as they put it. Are we to assume that the USA and it's government since WW2 is inherently evil? Do they start wars for fun? Come on, throw me a bone here.I've already given this movie more consideration than they gave their audience. I gave it a rating of "1". I would've given it at least a "5" if they attempted to give a possible reason the USA promotes war other than that's what they always do.Not recommended for educated people.

Norman Solomon is demonstrating that since World War II the US have systematically used war to defend their own interest and nothing else. So democracy and freedom is a lure for the public to fall into the trap of supporting the wars the President and a small group of people decide. He then demonstrates that all these wars are based on a fundamental and founding lie. Vietnam was based on the lie about the attack of some US battleship by the North Vietnamese in the Gulf of Tonkin just as much as the war on Iraq is based on the lie about the Weapons of Mass Destruction. Then he demonstrates how the press is literally forced into supporting the war though apparently very few are willing not to support it and the vast majority of media people are willing to support these adventures or ventures. But he also demonstrates that only two senators voted against the Gulf of Tonkin resolution in 1964 and only one congresswoman from California voted against the war on Iraq. He demonstrated how civilian casualties are increasingly the only casualties that count as for numbers. From 10% during the first world war they have risen to at least 90% in the war on Iraq. The present count of civilian casualties in Iraq are beyond one million. Then I will quote Senator Morse who voted in 1964 against the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: "Since when do we have to back our President or should we when the President is proposing an unconstitutional action?" That is clear enough. Democracy does not mean to support the President but to take part in the devising of the US foreign policy itself on the basis of all facts provided to people for them to make up their minds. I will then conclude with Norman Solomon: "When it comes to life and death the truth comes back too late." And in the case of Iraq the truth about the weapons of mass destruction is definitely too late since these WMDs justified a war that had thus no justification since they were a willful lie. And this war led to the most obnoxious and inhumane or even inhuman acts on the side of American GIs, like torturing and killing the victims of their own rapes.Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines