D-Day and the words of war

The anniversary of D-Day provides an excellent opportunity to pause to consider the words of war–how presidents convince Americans to fight, and how their words shape the goals of those conflicts.

Of all of the rhetorical challenges of leadership, none are as challenging as the call to arms, when the president must convince his countrymen to wound or kill others, and quite possibly, to demonstrate what Lincoln referred to as “the last full measure of devotion.”

In World War II, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s case was made for him on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. America instantaneously mobilized for war, but FDR still needed to give voice to their decision.

Roosevelt, one of the most eloquent writers to occupy the Oval Office, crafted a message that not only captured America’s fury, but also articulated the nation’s military objectives. In his “date which will live in infamy” speech, he declared: “I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.”

http://news.yahoo.com/d-day-words-war-090207602.html