Selling War, Selling Hope: Presidential Rhetoric, the News Media, and U.S. Foreign Policy since 9/11

433 Pages·2015·3.12 MB·English

by  Anthony R. DiMaggio

Selling War, Selling Hope

Selling War, Selling Hope
Presidential Rhetoric, the News Media,
and U.S. Foreign Policy since 9/11
Anthony R. DiMaggio
Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2015 State University of New York
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Production, Cathleen Collins
Marketing, Kate R. Seburyamo
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
DiMaggio, Anthony R., 1980–
Selling war, selling hope : presidential rhetoric, the news media, and U.S. foreign
policy since 9/11 / Anthony R. DiMaggio.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4384-5795-6 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4384-5797-0 (e-book)
1. United States—Foreign relations—2001–2009. 2. United States—Foreign
relations—2009– 3. Mass media and international relations—United States.
4. Communication in politics—United States. 5. Rhetoric—Political aspects—
United States. 6. Political oratory—United States. 7. War on Terrorism,
2001–2009—Public opinion. 8. Arab Spring, 2010—Public opinion. 9. Public
opinion—United States. I. Title.
E895.D56 2015
327.73009'0511—dc23 2014043287

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
List of Figures vii
List of Tables xiii
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction: Presidential Rhetoric from September 11
to the Arab Spring 1
Chapter 1
The Rhetoric of Fear and Hope in Afghanistan 17
Chapter 2
Selling the Iraq War 59
Chapter 3
Failure: The Iraq War and the Declining Influence of
Presidential Rhetoric 105
Chapter 4
An Iranian Threat? Recycling the Rhetoric of Fear and Hope 159
Chapter 5
From Fear to Democracy: Presidential Rhetoric in the Arab Spring 189
Chapter 6
Losing Control: Obama’s Rhetoric on Benghazi and Syria 247
vi Contents
Conclusion 281
Afterword 291
Notes 305
Bibliography 391
Index 401
Figures
Figure 1.1. Presidential Rhetoric and Support for Bush’s War
on Terror (September 2001) 23
Figure 1.2. Public Attitudes on Terror Threats and Alternatives
to War (October 2001) 24
Figure 1.3. Public Attention to War in Afghanistan
(October 2001–February 2002) 24
Figure 1.4. Public Support for War after September 11
(October 2001–January 2002) 24
Figure 1.5. Political-Media Effects on Public Opinion of
War on Terror (November 2001–January 2002) 25
Figure 1.6. Declining Support for War (December 2008–
November 2009) 27
Figure 1.7. Public Attention to Afghanistan (March–
December 2009) 28
Figure 1.8. The Interplay between Casualties, Reporting, and
War Opposition, Afghanistan (2009) 29
Figure 1.9. Public Trust in Government over Time (1964–
2008) 30
Figure 1.10. U.S. Conflict in Afghanistan: Framing a Terrorist
Threat (June–December 2009) 49
Figure 1.11. Framing Terrorism and Afghanistan in Cable News
(June–December 2009) 50

vii
viii Figures
Figure 1.12. Public Support for Afghan War (October 2009–
January 2010) 52
Figure 1.13. Media Agenda-Setting on Afghanistan: Attention
to the War as a Function of Reporting (2009) 54
Figure 1.14. Mass Media and Public Opinion on the Afghan
Surge (December 2009) 55
Figure 1.15. Growing Opposition to the Afghan War (December
2009–March 2013) 56
Figure 2.1. Coverage of Iraq and Weapons of Mass Destruction
(June 2002–March 2003) 78
Figure 2.2. Cable News Reporting on Iraq and Weapons of
Mass Destruction (June 2002–March 2003) 79
Figure 2.3. Coverage of Iraq, al Qaeda, and Terror
(June 2002–March 2003) 80
Figure 2.4. Cable Coverage of Iraq, al Qaeda, and Terror
(June 2002–March 2003) 81
Figure 2.5. A Secondary Democracy and Human Rights
Narrative (June 2002–March 2003) 82
Figure 2.6. Democracy and Human Rights on Cable News
(June 2002–March 2003) 82
Figure 2.7. Major Actors in News Stories on Iraq (September
2002–March 2003) 84
Figure 2.8. Major Actors in Cable News Stories on Iraq
(September 2002–March 2003) 85
Figure 2.9. Public Perceptions of an Iraqi Threat (November
2002–March 2003) 92
Figure 2.10. Public Opinion on Military Action on Iraq
(August 2002–March 2003) 92
Figure 2.11. New York Times Agenda-Setting and Support
for Bush on Iraq (August 2002–March 2003) 93
Figure 2.12. Media Agenda-Setting on Iraq (September 2002–
November 2003) 94
Figures ix
Figure 2.13. Continuing Support for War with Iraq (April
2003–June 2004) 95
Figure 2.14. Public Attention to News on Iraq (September
2002–March 2003) 97
Figure 2.15. Mass Media Effects on Public Opinion of War
(January 2003) 99
Figure 2.16. Mass Media Effects on Public Opinion of War
(February–March 2003) 101
Figure 3.1. General Skepticism of the Iraq War (March
2003–March 2010) 111
Figure 3.2. Substantive Opposition to War (March 2003–
July 2007) 112
Figure 3.3. Continued Opposition to War (2006–2013) 112
Figure 3.4. Coverage of Iraq Violence (June 2003–June
2007) 113
Figure 3.5. Cable Coverage of Iraq Violence (June 2003–
June 2007) 113
Figure 3.6. Public Attention to Iraq (December 2003–
April 2008) 114
Figure 3.7. Agenda-Setting Media and Opposition to War
(June 2003–June 2007) 115
Figure 3.8. Media Coverage and Monthly U.S. Casualties
(June 2003–March 2007) 117
Figure 3.9. Presidential vs. Democratic Political Actors in
Iraq Reporting (December 2003–April 2008) 119
Figure 3.10. The Bush Administration’s Changing Rhetoric
on Iraq (May 2003–May 2008) 121
Figure 3.11. Media Attention and the Capture of Saddam
Hussein (December 2003) 123
Figure 3.12. WMD Fiasco and Mediated Opposition to War
(February 2004) 126