The George W. Bush Presidency

A Rhetorical Perspective

Edited by Robert E. Denton Jr. - Contributions by Matthew T. Althouse; Gwen Brown; Stephen Cooper; Matthew J. Franck; Sandra L. French; Robert V. Friedenberg; Jim A. Kuypers; Patrick S. Loebs; Joseph M. Valenzano III; Ben Voth and Terrence L. Warburton

To date, there are only a couple dozen or so books specifically about the Presidency of George W. Bush. Political operatives, members of the media, and former administration officials have written most of the volumes. Additionally, the early books on the Bush presidency focus on the various aspects and dimensions of the “War on Terror.” In essence, these studies challenge the justification of our deployment, the “Bush doctrine” and the assumptions of nation building. Few volumes focus on his quite substantial legislative record and impact. There are a few academic volumes on the Bush presidency, but they were completed while he was still in office. They tend to be biased and uniformly negative.

The George W. Bush Presidency: A Rhetorical Perspective seeks to remedy this lack of academic investigation of the 43rd president and his rhetorical strategies. This volume is unique because the contributors analyze the Bush Presidency from a largely rhetorical perspective. The chapters look at the rhetoric of Bush across the contexts of domestic policy, foreign policy, the wars, and politics in general. Further, this thorough study examines the Inaugural addresses, State of the Union addresses, and addresses before joint sessions of Congress. Others analyze his political philosophy, policy issues, and his rocky relationship with the news media. Collectively, this essential text provides insight into the role of public discourse in the campaigning and governing of the George W. Bush presidency.

Lexington Books

Pages: 198 • Trim: 6¼ x 9¼

978-0-7391-7268-1 • Hardback • July 2012 • $120.00 • (£92.00)

978-0-7391-7269-8 • eBook • July 2012 • $114.00 • (£88.00)

Series: Lexington Studies in Political Communication

Subjects: Language Arts & Disciplines / Rhetoric, Language Arts & Disciplines / Communication Studies, Language Arts & Disciplines / Public Speaking & Speech Writing, Political Science / Public Affairs & Administration, Political Science / Political Process / General, Political Science / American Government / General, Political Science / American Government / Executive Branch, Political Science / Political Ideologies / Conservatism & Liberalism

The George W. Bush Presidency

A Rhetorical Perspective

Hardback

eBook

Summary

To date, there are only a couple dozen or so books specifically about the Presidency of George W. Bush. Political operatives, members of the media, and former administration officials have written most of the volumes. Additionally, the early books on the Bush presidency focus on the various aspects and dimensions of the “War on Terror.” In essence, these studies challenge the justification of our deployment, the “Bush doctrine” and the assumptions of nation building. Few volumes focus on his quite substantial legislative record and impact. There are a few academic volumes on the Bush presidency, but they were completed while he was still in office. They tend to be biased and uniformly negative.

The George W. Bush Presidency: A Rhetorical Perspective seeks to remedy this lack of academic investigation of the 43rd president and his rhetorical strategies. This volume is unique because the contributors analyze the Bush Presidency from a largely rhetorical perspective. The chapters look at the rhetoric of Bush across the contexts of domestic policy, foreign policy, the wars, and politics in general. Further, this thorough study examines the Inaugural addresses, State of the Union addresses, and addresses before joint sessions of Congress. Others analyze his political philosophy, policy issues, and his rocky relationship with the news media. Collectively, this essential text provides insight into the role of public discourse in the campaigning and governing of the George W. Bush presidency.

Details

Lexington Books

Pages: 198 • Trim: 6¼ x 9¼

978-0-7391-7268-1 • Hardback • July 2012 • $120.00 • (£92.00)

978-0-7391-7269-8 • eBook • July 2012 • $114.00 • (£88.00)

Series: Lexington Studies in Political Communication

Subjects: Language Arts & Disciplines / Rhetoric, Language Arts & Disciplines / Communication Studies, Language Arts & Disciplines / Public Speaking & Speech Writing, Political Science / Public Affairs & Administration, Political Science / Political Process / General, Political Science / American Government / General, Political Science / American Government / Executive Branch, Political Science / Political Ideologies / Conservatism & Liberalism

Author

Robert E. Denton, Jr. holds the W. Thomas Rice Chair of Leadership Studies in the Pamplin College of Business and is professor in the Department of Communication at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). He is author, co-author or editor of twenty-two books. The most recent titles include Political Campaign Communication: Principles and Practices, 7th Edition, Studies of Identity in the 2008 Presidential Campaign, and Communicator-in-Chief: How Barack Obama Used New Media Technology to Win the White House.

Table of Contents

Chapter One. The Presidency that Almost Wasn’t: George W. Bush’s First Inaugural
Joseph M. Valenzano, University of Dayton

Chapter Two. George W. Bush at a Global Gettysburg
Ben Voth, Southern Methodist University

Chapter Three. George W. Bush’s First Year of War Time Rhetoric
Robert V. Friedenberg, Miami University of Ohio

Chapter Four. War Stories: The Terror Narrative of George W. Bush’s State of the Union Addresses 2002-2006
Patrick S. Loebs, University of Memphis

Chapter Five. George W. Bush, the American Press, and the Initial Framing of the War on Terror after 9/11
Jim Kuypers, Virginia Tech University, Stephen Cooper, Marshall University and Matthew T. Althouse, The College at Brockport (SUNY)

Chapter Six. George W. Bush’s Conservatism: Compassionate or Compromised?
Terrence L. Warburton, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

Chapter Seven. George W. Bush and Bioethics: Framing the Stem Cell Debate
Gwen Brown, Rider University; Matthew J. Franck, The Witherspoon Institute and Sandra L. French, Radford University

Chapter Eight. George W. Bush and Religion: Faith, Policy, and Rhetoric
Robert E. Denton, Jr., Virginia Tech University

Reviews

The George W. Bush Presidency is a comprehensive and insightful book that examines the rhetoric of President Bush from a variety of perspectives. It is an impressive contribution to the emerging body of work related to the 43rd president. Expert analysis of Bush’s major speeches is provided by a diverse group of scholars of rhetoric, many of whom come to new and compelling conclusions regarding the foundations, formation, delivery, and reception of the President’s rhetoric during and after his time in the Oval Office. Thoroughly researched and well-written, the eight chapters in this book constitute a new and necessary assessment of George W. Bush’s rhetorical legacy.
— James M. Brandon, Hillsdale College

[This] is an important contribution toward appreciating how to understand a presidency as it is situated in history, as well as in recent hindsight, for readers from both sides of the aisle. I think analysis further down the road will identify this text as an essential tome that contributes valuable insights into a controversial presidency during a politically polarized time in our nation
— Melanie Bailey Mills, Eastern Illinois University