ABSTRACT
“The” national interest is generally presented as an assumption or a definitional tautology. The definitional tautology is often referred to as “revealed preferences” in the rational choice literature, but with either term, there’s an underlying assertion that preferences cannot be determined before practices reveal them. The use the leader makes of these themes and their emotional heft begins to explain how the national interest arises. “For our freedom” is hyperbole, but one which forces upon the listener a kind of affectivity: the speech act requires an embodied response. The word “freedom” is itself a directive rule for Americans. That Americans should reflect is a directive. President Obama is reminding America and Americans of the obligation to reflect. The words, “so much,” could be seen as an exhortation reminding Americans of the ever-present likelihood of having sacrificed soldiers to mourn. Sacrifice is to be made “for our freedom,” for others’ freedom or human rights, or for other less lofty goals.
