Banana Republicans - Tapa blanda

Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber are two of the most important analysts of the propaganda used by the rich and the powerful to control the citizens of the most powerful democracy on earth. Here they show how the techniques developed by Bush's team in Texas, in the 2000 and 2002 elections, and in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq will be deployed over the next six months to secure a second term for Bush. The presidential campaign of 2004 is the latest installment of a psychological warfare operation against the American people that is unprecedented in both scale and sophistication. Success could spell disaster for America and the world.

George W Bush has presided over the greatest security disaster in US history, vandalised the US economy, flouted international law and savaged the Constitution. Now he wants four more years to finish the job.

Banana Republicans provides a unique insight into the workings of the modern media. It shows how PR professionals have helped build a world where the public interest is systematically marginalised and policies that favour powerful individuals and corporations are lovingly airbrushed until they start to look like common sense.

John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton are the authors of Trust Us, Were Experts, the bestselling Weapons of Mass Deception (Robinson, 2003) and Banana Republicans. Find out more about their work for the Center for Media and Democracy at www.prwatch.org. They both live in Madison, Wisconsin.

Robert Newman is a stand-up comic and novelist, and lives in London.

Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber are experts on the public relations industry and are the authors of Toxic Sludge is Good For You, Trust Us We're Experts and the best-selling Weapons of Mass Deception.