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New York September 2004, the race for the White House was reaching a dramatic climax. The candidates were neck and neck in the polls. Both were now desperate to seize any advantage over the other. President Bush was heading for his party's convention at Madison Square Garden. This was effectively his last opportunity to get ahead. His advisers knew that everything depended on how he was presented. They needed an iconic image to convince the American electorate that he was their man, and that would mean exploiting the power of art.
Well, although they didn't know it, the techniques that they turned to weren't of the modern day. The methods they would use had been invented thousands of years ago. Because the political power of art was discovered by kings and emperors in the ancient world, it was these leaders who first used imagery to manipulate their subjects. And today our modern politicians are exploiting those same visual strategies. This is the story of how those ancient leaders created techniques of visual persuasion so powerful, they've still got a hold on us today.
Inside Madison Square Garden, the delegates eagerly awaited the high point of the convention, the president's speech. His advisers knew they needed something memorable and dramatic. They decided to exploit the most potent political images of his presidency, his presence at Ground Zero. Among the ruins of the World Trade Center, he looked strong and commanding and yet, he still appeared caring and warm. These were the pictures that defined his presidency. If his advisers could only tap into the power of these iconic images, they'd give their man a huge advantage.
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