Dodging the Costs of the Warfare State

By Norman Solomon, AlterNet. Posted September 19, 2005.

When the New York Times' editors warned of dire budget deficits, they failed to name the real reason: our 'war president.'

The New York Times began this week with an editorial that typifies the media mind-set of the warfare state.

Monday's editorial warns of dire consequences from a growing deficit that has been boosted by tax cuts -- in combination with "the pre-Katrina priorities laid down by Mr. Bush." Those priorities include a U.S. military budget that has reached half a trillion dollars per year. But the Times editorial does not devote a single word to military spending or the Iraq war.

Why not mention the option of an American pullout from Iraq, where the U.S. war effort has already drained $200 billion from taxpayers? Well, those who determine editorial positions at the New York Times -- and the other major newspapers in the country -- cannot bring themselves to call for a quick end to the U.S. military role in Iraq.