Abstract: Today both policy and business operate under the laws of marketing. An excellent example of the application of political marketing techniques can be seen in how the Iraq War was initiated by the U.S. and has been conducted by an intense campaign to persuade the public that terrorism threatens freedom and democracy. This dissertation will examine the processes of manipulation used by the U.S. government as well as the media to sell the Iraq War to the public. It will provide an overview of propaganda in general and the culture of the mass media in the United States. The literature review clarifies the theoretical relationship between mass media and manipulation through propaganda in a democratic state. The following analysis of the media coverage during the Iraq War serves as an example of the mutual dependence of politics and the media.