2006/11/01 by Mark West, M. Genevieve West, Chris Carey · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Intelligence, Security, War Strategy #Media Studies and Communication #Rhetoric and Communication Studies
paper · doi:10.1080/00335630601076326
crossref issued 2006/11/01 · crossref published 2006/11/01 · crossref published-print 2006/11/01 · openalex publication_date 2006/11/01 · crossref created 2007/07/08 · crossref deposited 2016/12/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/28 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
The Bush administration's public discourse after September 11 weaves a new story embedded in the national myth of the Old West. Seen in its historical context of a frontier political mentality reaching back to the early 19th century, and in its broader communication context as the rhetorical narration of a defining cultural myth, the tactical narration of the frontier justice story gains its fullest gravity. Bush and Cheney's proliferation of this rhetorical vision is not merely a quantitative increase in frontier references from past presidencies. Instead, this essay argues that an appreciably different character of narration is underway, one that tactically deploys and directs frontier mythology as a fantasy theme at discrete audiences: to cope with a national crisis, reassure a partisan political base, and discipline international allies for a controversial war.