The George W. Bush Presidency

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.