Home   >   Opinion   >   Article       The peaceniks are guilty
of double standards  January 31 2003  The spin in the Iraq
debate does not emanate only from the White House, explains
Michael Scammell.  While much has been made by anti-war
commentators of the supposedly "dishonest" public relations
campaign being run by the Bush administration to win support
during the Iraq crisis, isn't a double standard at work here? A
quick look at the actions of protesters in opposing war against
Iraq suggests they are as skilled as any government in the use
and finessing of public relations techniques.  Consider the
following rather savvy PR tactics being used to support the
anti-war cause:  Tactic 1: Attract high-profile celebrities to
your cause. In the US, the anti-war movement persuaded Hollywood
actor Sean Penn to visit Iraq on a "fact-finding" mission
(unfortunately this turned into something of a PR disaster for
the peace movement when Saddam tried to portray Penn's visit as
support for Iraqi claims that it had no