JOSEPH R. BLANEY is Assistant Professor of Communication at Illinois State University, Normal. Among his previous published volumes are The Clinton scandals and the Politics of Image Restoration (Praeger, 2001, with W. L. Benoit) and Campaign '96: A Functional Analysis of Acclaiming, Attacking, and Defending (Praeger, 1998, with W. L. Benit and P. M. Pier).