The paper goes on to say, "Palin later dismissed the conversation as a 'rhetorical' exercise."

II 216) is a rhetorical exercise by an unknown author, written in Greek.

Was that a good review, or was it a rhetorical exercise?

The partnership could be easily dismissed as a rhetorical exercise and left unmourned.

That is a rhetorical exercise, because he has already scored a coup.

It was, I thought, a startlingly skillful political and rhetorical exercise, delivered with stern energy.

The question was real and hopeful, not a rhetorical exercise.

A similar opinion is that the comedies are rhetorical exercises.

Discrediting the pipelines for environmental reasons is merely a rhetorical exercise.

None of this can be just a rhetorical exercise.