[unityByFreedom]

What? It was the Bush administration who acted on intelligence that they later admitted was "the best they had" but inaccurate. Condoleezza Rice spoke many times about this in the aftermath.

Laying WMDs in Iraq at the feet of the media, as if they could influence our military's action, is ridiculous.

[chatmasta]

The media played a pivotal role in garnering enough public opinion to support the move. The administration needed the appearance of public support for the invasion, especially since international support was lacking. Of course the military can do whatever they want, as they have throughout history. But history also shows that invasions are usually preceded by public relations campaigns to convince the public it's a good idea.

[unityByFreedom]

Oh my God. Now we are back-in-time blaming the media for US foreign relations? You've got to be trolling me.

What did "the media" have to gain from the US going to war in Iraq? Any media campaign to convince the public would have been led by the government. All the actionable intel came from government, not the media. "The media" isn't some mass entity working together. They're one step above the general public in the knowledge chain, beneath government. Government can influence the media as much as it can influence the public.