The Art of Framing

Senator John McCain says about Iraq “We’re succeeding. I don’t care what anybody says. I’ve seen the facts on the ground.” It’s a good example of the art of framing, the things we are allowed to talk about, and the things that cannot be broached.

Succeeding? At what? That is the critical key – our invasion of Iraq was illegal, its consequences devastating to the population, and its ultimate goals unstated here in the land of the free, but easily understood elsewhere. We’ve sent over two million people packing, killed hundreds of thousands more, and malnutrition and disease are rampant. We’ve failed to rebuild infrastructure destroyed as long ago as 1991.

We’ve failed in many ways, but truthfully, we never really tried. As McCain understands, in the important areas – control of the resources, construction of permanent occupation bases that will house 100,000 troops, marginalization of the local population – in those areas, we’re succeeding. He means just what he says. He’s not stupid. We’re doing what we set out to do.

This is critical to understanding American involvement in this war. The mainstream media, the Republicans and the Democrats are all in agreement. We have a right to “succeed”. The only argument the Democrats are putting up is that the Republicans are incompetent. That’s why talk of withdrawing troops by both Democratic candidates is just campaign rhetoric. There might be a showboat debarking of a unit or two, but we are there for keeps.

Iraq is nothing new save its massive scale and that it was done openly – it was too big to keep secret. As much as we talk about it, it is still largely minimized by the media. (When was the last time a pundit or journalist mentioned our 180,000 mercenaries soldiers, or even gingerly touched on the civilian death toll?)

For so long as I have been alive (not that there is any connection), the U.S. has invaded other countries and stolen resources, placed puppets in power and rigged elections and murdered leaders. They’ve had success. But Iraq has been troublesome. The local population hasn’t buckled under (though, due to some serious bribery, there has been some acquiescence lately). There’s an active resistance, and the government we appointed has thus far failed us. They have refused to officially turn control of oil over to American companies. They have yet to control the indigenous resistance (which we label “Al Qaeda”). In short, they are threatening to be independent.

If it keeps up, we’ll have to install new puppets. It will be regime change, Act II. Cue the band.

Come November, with a new administration, perhaps we’ll have more success. In the meantime, we won’t talk about Iraq in any other framework than “success” or “failure”. It’s not allowed. Mainstream media knows this. (Glenn Greenwald ran a rather interesting piece on how true war critics are shut out of media conversations. See “The Ongoing Exclusion of War Opponents From the Iraq Debate”, currently featured at his web site.) True analysis of means, motives and methods is not allowed.

Most Americans get this. Some of us are just a bit slower.