The President's Words: Speeches and Speechwriting in the Modern White House.

Jones, John M.

The President's Words: Speeches and Speechwriting in the Modern White House. Edited by Michael Nelson and Russell L. Riley. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2010. 310 pp.

The most refreshing scholarship is that which has sufficient depth as well as practical application. Far too often, authors sacrifice one for the other. The Rhetoric and Public Address discipline benefits from publications that appeal not only to scholars, but to practitioners and laypersons who have an interest in the subject. Michael Nelson and Russell L. Riley have provided just such a volume. Based on a two-day conference held at the University of Virginia's Miller Center of Public Affairs, this edited collection blends scholarly commentary with oral histories from nine former White House speechwriters--representing every presidential administration from Richard Nixon to Bill Clinton.

The book examines four genres of presidential discourse: the convention acceptance address, the inaugural address, the State of the Union message, and presidential crisis rhetoric. The opening chapter gives the reader an overview of three major historical eras of speechwriting and sets the stage for what is to come. The remainder of the book is divided into four sections, each dealing with one of the aforementioned genres. Every section features two chapters--one written from a scholarly perspective, the other a transcript of the speechwriters' symposium discussion of that genre (which includes both scholars and writers). In the first scholarly contribution, Martin J. Medhurst outlines the generic expectations and linguistic style of the acceptance speech. In the second, Charles O. Jones traces the history and qualities of the inaugural address. Kathryn Dunn Tenpas discusses the third genre--the process of writing a State of the Union address--along with an assessment of the speech's effectiveness. And Andrew Rudalevige examines the fourth genre, providing a history of the modern crisis speech. In a concluding section, Sidney M. Milkis discusses implications for crafting and managing the rhetorical presidency. Each of these scholars provides fresh insight into some of the most important presidential discourse in modern political history.

Equally interesting to the reader is the reflection that takes place around the conference table at the symposium as various former speechwriters recall their experiences with their respective presidents. This impressive collection of practitioners shares how each met the president for whom they wrote, insights into the personality and character of their principal, the president's expectations and rhetorical style, the process of writing a presidential speech, goals of the writer and the speech, the extent to which pollsters influenced content and writers influenced policy, and a multitude of stories behind significant speeches. One cannot fully appreciate presidential speeches without understanding how they evolved, the editing process, the quarrels with other administration officials over proper word choice, and the president's own role in creating the speech. The writers share all of this and more with great fondness, occasional humor, and more than a little frankness about the inner workings of their administration.

Several of the stories in The President's Words are as priceless as they are instructive. For example, one speechwriter recalls how Jimmy Carter was talked down from including in his inaugural address a biblical passage calling on the nation to repent and turn from its wicked ways. Another writer describes the story behind the now-famous Ronald Reagan line--"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall"--and the battle with the State Department and National Security Council over whether it should remain in the speech. Without the insistence of the writers and the president himself, the line might never have been uttered at the Brandenburg Gate. Still another writer shares the story of a Clinton speech on health care in which the wrong manuscript was placed on the teleprompter. These and other anecdotes add interest and personalize the role of the writer and the president.

While one might wish for an expanded discussion of presidential apologia and perhaps a detailed consideration of speeches delivered in the wake of terrorist attacks, there is much to praise in this important work. Nelson and Riley's collection gives the reader an excellent critical analysis along with a behind-the-scenes look at those who craft the president's message as well as important insight into why modern presidents were successful or unsuccessful at communicating their message. The contributors underscore the importance of the modern speechwriter in an electronic age, provide a richer understanding of the goals and expectations of important categories of presidential speeches, and give the rhetorical critic a fuller set of criteria by which to evaluate presidential addresses. Students of history, public address, or politics will profit from this book as much as writers and scholars. Aspiring speechwriters will learn important lessons from those who have gone before them.

Perhaps what is most striking about The President's Words is how much the scholarly camp and the wordsmiths have in common. Although they use different terminology, there are moments when the two share the same concerns and make similar observations. The two groups often complement each other as well, with one camp raising issues that might have escaped the notice of the other. In reading this volume, it becomes clear that more dialogue should take place between rhetorical critics and speechwriters. Wordsmiths, who seldom have an academic background in rhetoric, need the many positive contributions that rhetorical scholars can make. Rhetoricians, on the other hand, need the insights of the practitioners, if for no other reason than to ensure that their scholarship does not become too esoteric to be useful outside the academy. For these reasons, the editors are to be commended for a work that combines both the theory and practice of rhetoric and demonstrates clearly the importance of both.

--John M. Jones

Pepperdine University