Finally...

When Ramage alludes to the consequences suffered by rhetoricians who attempt to persuade an audience who refuses to even listen, I am reminded of George W. Bush. Although I didn't find the sidebars to be noticeably helpful, it is where I drew the reference from. The consequences that our president has suffered because of his controversial war are evident in his plummeting approval rating. Even though he had the majority of [U.S.] citizens in favor of his actions at the beginning of the war, he has lost most of that support. The power of persuasion he once had is evidenced by the fact that he was able to launch a military strike on Iraq in the first place. I agree with the author when he questions Bush's choice of threats to invade, but obvious rhetorical labor was dedicated to making Iraq seem like the most logical primary concern. I use the word "rhetorical" because he never (at least to my knowledge) coerced the nation by taking away, or eliminating the other threats on the list. He was able to persuade us into believing Iraq was our biggest threat, and therefore influencing our choice between enemies to take military action towards. Police make me sick- has nothing to do with class discussion, I just had to say it.