Searching for common sense: The roots of George W. Bush's war rhetoric

Authors

Michael J. Butler, Clark UniversityFollow

Document Type

Book Chapter

Abstract

The profound reliance on rhetorical appeals by political leaders in the articulation and prosecution of U.S. foreign policy initiatives, particularly those involving the use of military force, is a phenomenon both long-studied and widely chronicled. This phenomenon appears to be an especially favored tactic of the current Bush administration. This characterization seems most apt with respect to the Bush administration’s framing of the military components of its larger counterterrorism efforts. This chapter seeks to probe more deeply into the use of moralizing rhetoric by political elites with respect to war within the American historical and political context.

Publication Title

Signs of War: From Patriotism to Dissent

Publication Date

12-9-2007

First Page

95

Last Page

121

ISBN

9780230610026

DOI

10.1057/9780230610026

Keywords

Bush administration, counterterrorism, War on Terror, war rhetoric, U.S. foreign policy

Repository Citation

Butler, Michael J., "Searching for common sense: The roots of George W. Bush's war rhetoric" (2007). Political Science. 36.
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_political_science/36