Presidential Speech Analysis
In times of war, it is common and necessary for leaders to give speeches enhancing the morale of their nation. This is what George W. Bush attempts to do in his televised speech “Capture of Saddam Hussein”. Bush delivers this speech after the capture of Saddam Hussein, the much-despised leader of Iraq who had been mistreating the people of his country. After sending thousands of troops to Iraq, the American public was eager to hear of results. Bush uses appeals and memorable language to place in the public’s mind the significance of Hussein’s capture, give credit to the United States military, and persuade American citizens that the war still needs to continue.
This speech was delivered on December 14, 2003. At this point American troops had been in Iraq for almost a year. (something about how the war was being fought in a post-9/11 climate, against Hussein who supported terrorists and committed human rights violations) something about how Bush is the president of america who is largely responsible for making the decision to go to war and so is responsible for delivering results. Something about how it is televised so the audience is the whole public)
Bush took this opportunity to convey to the public how much of an accomplishment the capture of Saddam Hussein was. He does this with the pathos appeal. Bush declares, “this event brings further assurance that torture chambers and the secret police are gone forever” (Bush). The audience, American citizens, will feel sympathy for the Iraqi people. Most American citizens could not even imagine living under such horrific conditions, and will feel like the Iraqis deserve to be liberated. Hearing that the capture of Hussein will lead to this freedom will persuade Americans that this is a victory.
Bush makes sure to give credit to the U.S. military in this speech. He explains, “the operation was based on the superb work of intelligence analysts who found the dictator's footprints...