Invoking the glorious war: Framing the Persian Gulf conflict through directive language

Abstract

Urging public support for United States intervention in the Persian Gulf War, President Bush faced two challenges. First, he had to overcome the traumatic public memory of Vietnam. Second, strong public support for economic sanctions and opposition to military action required Bush to convince Americans that war was imperative. The declaration of hostilities on January 16, 1991, is superimposed on a series of earlier messages aimed at supplanting the failure of Vietnam with the glory of World War II. The ultimate purpose was, of course, to justify armed conflict in the Gulf region. This essay examines the use directive language in achieving that purpose.