Madonna pulls antiwar video

The war has Madonna in retreat. The singer whose career has been defined by controversy has abruptly shelved the music video for “American Life,” which was scheduled to premiere this week on VH1 but has been making headlines for weeks for its war imagery.

Madonna explained on her Web site: “Due to the volatile state of the world and out of sensitivity and respect to the armed forces, who I support and pray for, I do not want to risk offending anyone who might misinterpret the meaning of this video.”

The video, shot in Los Angeles in February, mixed images of “a female superhero portrayed by Madonna set against a backdrop of current cultural obsessions,” according to her Web site, as well as dancers in camouflage and a fashion show that turns into a battle zone. The video also reportedly showed Madonna tossing a grenade toward a President Bush look-alike (the weapon turns out to be just a cigarette lighter).