Description: Looks at presidential speeches over the course of six administrations. An outstanding team of scholars and professional writers--including nine former speechwriters who worked for every president from Nixon to Clinton--examines how the politics and crafting of presidential rhetoric serve the various roles of the presidency.
Review Quotes:
"The cascade of words that characterizes the modern rhetorical presidency is a product not of one loquacious man but of a host of hired wordsmiths. Yet few of us know anything about presidential speechwriters--their frustrations, challenges, pressures, rewards, and opportunities. Combining acute analysis with a vivid insider's perspective, The President's Words provides a revealing look at their world."--Richard J. Ellis, editor of Speaking to the People: The Rhetorical Presidency in Historical Perspective
"Offers insights into the relationships between presidents and their public discourse and clues about why some presidents use the bully pulpit more skillfully."--Karlyn Kohrs Campbell, coauthor of Deeds Done in Words: Presidential Rhetoric and the Genres of Governance