This week on NOW:
President Bush made his case for war this week, and the first scores are in on how he did. The Gallup poll shows that by a two-to-one margin Americans who watched the speech say he made a convincing case for military action against Iraq. But the President must also bring around two other important audiences - America’s old allies in Europe, and the rough and tumble Middle East. NOW reports on foreign reactions to the State of the Union and what the President is saying to win support around the world.
John R. MacArthur is publisher of HARPER’S MAGAZINE, the oldest political journal in the country. He is also the author of the book SECOND FRONT: CENSORSHIP AND PROPOGANDA IN THE GULF WAR. In it he looks at how the government tried to shape the news coverage during the first Gulf War. Bill Moyers talks to MacArthur about his thoughts on the State of the Union address and the public relations spin that the government can exert on the media.
Recently, California, a pioneer in air quality protection, passed the first U.S. law aimed at slowing global warming by reducing carbon dioxide emissions from cars and other states are poised to follow. And, in the midst of SUVs coming under increasing criticism, President Bush said in his State of the Union address that he wants to spend $1.2 billion in developing a car that runs on hydrogen power. NOW examines the debate over fuel efficiency and goes inside the grassroots movements being led by Hollywood and religious groups trying to create consumer demand for cleaner burning cars.
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