Mary E. Stuckey is Associate Professor of Political Science at The University of Mississippi. She is author of The President as Interpreter-in-Chief; Getting Into the Game: The Pre-Presidential Rhetoric of Ronald Reagan; and co-author of The New American Presidency (second edition); Leadership and the Bush Presidency: Prudence or Drift in an Era of Change?; and Playing the Game: The Presidential Rhetoric of Ronald Reagan.

"Too often scholars in communication studies and political science fail to attend to the work on political communication done outside their respective fields. This book provides a variety of theoretical perspectives—both qualitative and quantitative. The study of political communication—especially in an age dominated by mass mediated messages—is vital." — Patricia A. Sullivan, State University of New York, New Paltz"The entire book offers straightforward styles of exposition. The chapters on rhetorics of video presentation and foreign affairs distinguish this book from virtually all the vaguely similar works published of late. The authors address different venues of political communication through separate but complementary modes of inquiry. They will be cited time and again by scholars of political communication." — John S. Nelson, The University of Iowa

• Introduction1. Political Communication and the Study of Rhetoric:Persuasion from the Standpoint of Literary Theory and Anthropology David Lorenzo2. Political Linguistic Discourse Analysis: Analyzing the Relationships of Power and Language Kenneth L. Hacker3. Questioning the Questioners: Cracking Television's Protective Shell and Other Impossible Requirements for Researching the Development of Media Content Matthew R. Kerbel4. From Agenda Setting to Priming and Framing: Reflections on Theory and Method Henry C. Kenski5. Video Verite: Language and Image in the Interpretation of Power Bethami A. Dobkin6. Equal Time Within Televised Presidential Debates Ronald Milavsky and Jian-Hua Zhu7. Presidential Rhetoric in Political Time Mary E. Stuckey8. Presidential Rhetoric: A Social Constructionist Approach Andrew Valls9. Body, Mind, and Soul in the Gulf War Debate Francis A. Beer and Barry J. Balleck10. How Past Is Present in Writing International Affairs: Telling the Cambodian Story G. R. Boynton11. Toward a Critical Hermeneutic: Methodological Quandaries in Studying Nazi Racial Doctrines Roy J. SchwartzmanConclusion Contributors Index