Whoppers Of Mass Deception Wmd Presidential Rhetoric Moral Panic And The War In Iraq

The results of this study demonstrate that presidential rhetoric influences public opinion regarding key issues; in this instance, public opinion concerning invasion of a sovereign nation. Specifically, the results indicate that the volume of Bush administration rhetoric regarding Iraq increased after 9/11, and the tone of such rhetoric became more punitive and communitarian after 9/11, as expected. Also, increased volume of rhetoric from administrative sources (particularly President Bush) preceding Gallup Polls increased the likelihood of public support of invading Iraq. Certain rhetorically powerful words such as "evil" were shown to increase support of invasion.