Although sometimes decried by pundits, George W. Bush's use of 
moral and religious rhetoric is far from unique in the American 
presidency. In The Moral Rhetoric of American Presidents, 
Colleen J. Shogan astutely analyzes the president's role as the 
nation's moral spokesman and demonstrates that moral and religious 
rhetoric is a strategic tool presidents can use to enhance their 
constitutional authority.

    Shogan employs content analysis of the inaugural and annual 
addresses of all the presidents from George Washington through 
George W. Bush. This quantitative evidence shows that while 
presidents of both parties have used moral and religious arguments, 
the frequency has fluctuated considerably and the language has 
become increasingly detached from relevant policy arguments.

    Shogan explores the political effects of the rhetorical choices 
presidents make through nine historical cases: Presidents 
Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Buchanan, Lincoln, Theodore 
Roosevelt, Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Carter. Shogan highlights 
the specific political circumstances that encourage or discourage the 
use of moral rhetoric and analyzes several dilemmas of governance 
instigated by George W. Bush's persistent devotion to moral and 
religious argumentation.

    This paperback edition includes a new afterword in which Shogan 
applies her analysis to understanding the role of Bush's moral rhetoric 
in the 2006 Congressional elections. She considers the change in his 
addresses after his party's midterm losses and, surveying the likely 
candidates for the 2008 presidential election, argues that they will 
need to ascertain how to maximize the strategic utility of moral and 
religious rhetoric.

_________________________________________________________

COLLEEN J. SHOGAN, who holds a Ph.D. from Yale University, is 
a research manager at the Congressional Research Service and an 
affiliate research faculty member at George Mason University. She 
is the recipient of the American Political Science Association 
Congressional Fellowship.


Number Seventeen: Presidential Rhetoric Series


What people are saying about this book

“Shogan offers an insightful, thought-provoking analysis that 
significantly advances our understanding of the rhetorical choices 
of presidents past, present, and future.”—Perspectives on 
Politics, December 2007

". . . a very readable and informative book that should be of interest 
to both scholars and lay readers."—Political Science Quarterly, 
Fall 2007

". . . carefully researched and thoroughly revealing look at the 
strategic role moral rhetoric has played in presidential leadership 
. . . Shogan portrays presidential moral rhetoric as a dual-edged 
sword, a potentially powerful weapon for energizing public support 
and eliminating political opposition, but also a blunt instrument 
that destroys the ability of the president to forge compromises or 
reverse course once wielded."—TCS Daily, January 2007

"Shogan's study of moral rhetoric and the presidency is 
comprehensive, insightful and informed. The book brings together 
an impressive array of overlapping issues: changes in patterns of 
rhetoric over time; the strategic uses of moral rhetoric; and the 
costs and benefits to the polity of these kinds of appeals. The Moral 
Rhetoric of American Presidents is also a moral example because 
Shogan is so fair to those with whom she disagrees."—Jeffrey K. 
Tulis, University of Texas

"Shogan's argument that moral rhetoric stems more from the political 
context of a president than from his personality or leadership style is 
right on the mark. . . . a valuable contribution to the literature on 
presidential rhetoric."—Terri Bimes, Associate Director, Center for 
American Political Studies, Harvard University