For George H. W. Bush, the distinction between campaigning 
("politics") and governing ("principles") was crucial. Once in 
office, he abandoned his campaign mode and with it the rhetorical 
strategies that had brought electoral success. Not recognizing the 
importance of rhetoric to policy formation and implementation, 
Bush forfeited the resources of the bully pulpit and paid the price 
of electoral defeat.

    Here, scholars explore the first Gulf War, the fall of the Berlin 
wall, the "New World Order," Bush's "education presidency," his 
environmental stance, the "vision thing," and the influence of the 
Religious Right. The volume concludes with an analysis of the 
1992 re-election campaign and Bush's last-gasp use of economic 
rhetoric.

    The contributors draw on the resources of the Bush Presidential 
Library and interviews with many of Bush's White House aides. 
They also suggest how embracing the art of rhetoric might have 
allowed Bush to respond more successfully.

    The Rhetorical Presidency of George H. W. Bush breaks 
important ground for our understanding of the forty-first president's 
time in office and the reasons it ended so quickly.

_________________________________________________________

MARTIN J. MEDHURST, who holds a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania 
State University, is Distinguished Professor of Rhetoric and 
Communication at Baylor University. He is the founding editor of 
Rhetoric and Public Affairs.


Number Fourteen: Presidential Rhetoric Series


What people are saying about this book

". . . a careful and considered analysis of the kinder, gentler 
President Bush. . . . In this case, a very decent man was undone 
by his lack of enthusiasm for the art of rhetoric."—Craig R. Smith, 
California State University, Long Beach, and former presidential 
speechwriter

"These essays, all based on research in primary documents at 
the Bush Library, explore the rhetorical record of the forty-first 
President, ranging from the end of the Cold War to the challenge of 
the religious right. While acknowledging some adroit rhetorical 
decisions, the essays also chart a record of missed opportunities 
with devastating consequences."—David Zarefsky, Northwestern 
University

"Scholars interested in either the nature of the rhetorical 
presidency, or the Bush presidency, should benefit from this 
book."—Robert V. Friedenburg, Miami University of Ohio

"The lessons of this study cannot and should not escape future 
presidents as well as other politicians."—Amos Kiewe, Syracuse 
University