g on some policy issue….” This is a very dangerous situation indeed given that the President is the Commander in Chief of the armed forces. An example can be seen in the bombing of Iraq after Saddam Hussein was found in non-compliance of UN inspection rules. The fact that President Clinton ordered the bombing on the eve of his impeachment vote is the issue at hand. His motives for the timing of the bombing are questionable. It can be argued that he was attempting to influence the public by reminding them of the duties of the President and how he had carried them out to the best of his ability. As a result it can also be argued that the President was using his powers as Commander in Chief for his own personal gain. Many times presidents have turned to foreign policy affairs to divert the public’s attention form certain problems at home. This is definitely a dubious motive for policy decisions and actions. Throughout Lippmann’s book the main theme is the process of how information pertaining to news or factual events is tainted. On page 9 of his book he states “When we do not directly experience an event the only feeling we can have on it are the mental images it arouses.” This idea is the foundation for everything else he says in the book. In terms of foreign policy this is even more applicable because most of us rarely have direct first hand experience in foreign events that make the news. For example, when the Gulf crisis came to be in 1990, for most Americans the only real contact was the media through such sources as CNN. Given that media images are designed to generate certain emotional responses form the viewers Lippmann’s point is well taken. He also points out on page 158. “Leaders have a great deal of control over access to the facts. Every leader is in some degree a propagandist. Consent can be manufactured, the opportunity for manipulation are open to anyone wh...
