State of the Union Addresses

This is not a history of the Bush presidency. It is the presidency itself, rendered in the president's own words, delivered live to Congress and the nation. Here is the address delivered just six days after September 11th, when the towers had fallen and the country was still counting its dead. Here too are the speeches that justified the Iraq War, championed No Child Left Behind, explained Medicare reform, and grappled with Hurricane Katrina's catastrophic failure of government. The nine addresses in this collection span from February 2001 to January 2009, documenting how one administration framed its vision for America during a period of unprecedented challenge. Readers will find the original rhetoric unfiltered: the confidence and the blind spots, the moments of genuine eloquence and the phrases that would later become controversial. For students of American politics, historians, and anyone seeking to understand how presidential language shapes policy and public memory, these documents offer an indispensable primary source.