What I'm working on:

I keep asking myself a question "Is President Bush a classically charismatic leader?".
Max Weber would say no, as in his estimation charismatic leadership is rooted in the masses belief that the Leader has exceptional even semi divine qualities. As such the mantle of charisma is imposed from without and is conditioned by the masses experience of a crisis situation.
There was none of this "summoned to power aspect" to Bush's initial leadership prior to 9-11. Although his apologists composed reams of servile praise after 9-11, thankful that Bush had somehow "won" instead of Gore whose heroic qualities were now retroactively suspect. Ann Ruth Willner asserts that true charismatic leadership has to exist as part of leader's appeal prior to his or her entry into power.
Other than his overly doting mother I can divine no sign that Bush impressed any mass cohorts with his personality prior to the Supreme Courts decision in December 2000.
As a orator Bush must rank near the bottom in raw presidential sincerity and persuasiveness..he has on many occasion dispelled a disturbing unfamiliarity with the text of his own speech. To compensate for this, Bush tries to remain "on message" as much as possible, which is a highfalutin' way of saying he's painfully repetitive.
As a consequence of being deficient in persuasion Bush tends to dissemble, promising a good outcome when his means and goals are guaranteed to do just the opposite.
For example he is constantly hawking his tax cuts as a means to create jobs and increase federal revenue when there is no evidence that supports his thesis. The conclusion is inescapable that he thinks said tax cut will accomplish contrary ends he simply lacks the means to persuade anyone of the worthiness of those results.
On the other hand it's clear a growing cottage industry has arisen in Washington D.C. dedicated to making palatable Bush's leadership style. Columnists sing his praises and tellingly insist on the basis of no evidence that Bush is a solitary virtuous warrior in the fight against taxes, the bureaucracy or whatever.
Bush's recently reneged upon decision to fly off to a Aircraft Carrier today in a fighter jet can in this light be seen as buffoonery or part of some ongoing and deliberate heroic posturing.
Is it possible to talk of a "technology" of charisma?
A costly series of techniques designed to either impose a kind of pseudo-charisma on the leader or to induce in the electorate Willner's "charismatic oriented responses". Seen in this light charisma is less and ineffable quality and more a commodity to be dispensed on a cost effective basis.
The late Phillip K. Dick thought along similar lines when he described a Richard Nixon-like character whose stultifying personality was concealed by elaborate, omnipresent and expensive political stagecraft.
In the Dickian sense charisma is merely the artful concealment of banality.
Well all this is comforting for liberals in search of a malign explanation but I'm got my doubts....still it's question worth exploring in my opinion.