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ABSTRACT
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This
study is a rhetorical criticism of drug control policy implementation speech
acts of George Hebert Walker Bush, 41st President of the United States. The use of the
metaphor War on Drugs as a rhetorical device for policy implementation is
given particular attention. The purpose of this study is to enhance
understanding of the efficacy of language choices and the effects, both
intended and unintended, on public policy implementation and the creation of
the social worlds in which we live. Thirty-three rhetorical artifacts were examined and analyzed. The artifacts consisted of speeches, exchanges with the
media, and other public remarks. They were taken from across the full span of
Bush's presidency. In addition to
the artifacts themselves, attention was given to
the context in which the orations were made. The research methodology is
rhetorical criticism using elements of dramatism
and metaphorical analysis, and informed by communication theory, in
particular the Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) and social
constructionism. The Bush presidency coincided with the creation and
implementation of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, which
restructured the drug control policy implementation efforts of the United States. The locus of
control moved from the states to the federal government with effects, both
intended and unintended, that reverberate in today's society. The
findings from this study suggest that the use of the war metaphor was
efficacious from the perspective of the government. Following Bush's use of the war
metaphor in implementing drug control policy, a decrease in drug use was
reported, funding for implementing drug control policy increased, the
bureaucratic turf wars quieted, and, in specific areas, unification of the
citizenry in support of drug policy was achieved. The findings also suggest
that the use of the war metaphor damaged communication between and among the
various constituencies, resulting in blocked opportunities to learn and adapt
as drug control policies were implemented.
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