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Reviews of Presidential Ambition : How the Presidents Gained Power,
Kept Power, and Got Things Done by Richard Shenkman
Amazon.com
The standard by which all books on presidential power are judged is
Richard E. Neustadt's Presidential Power, which considers modern
presidents in terms of their ability to wield influence. In Presidential
Ambition, Richard Shenkman takes a more historical--and much more
cynical--look at the question of how a president uses and consolidates
power. In addition to the compromising of principles, lying, pandering,
stealing votes, manipulation of the press, and attempts to manipulate
public opinion that take place in the Oval Office, Shenkman also delves
into the nefarious methods by which these men became America's
leaders.
He maintains that the primary quality that separates the presidents from
other Americans, from George Washington onward, is their
overwhelming ambition. The most successful occupants of the White
House, he suggests, expanded the powers of their position by molding
the presidency to their own talents and skills, finding ways to do what
they wanted--including lying to the American people (a trait, he makes
abundantly clear, that is far from limited to the Clinton administration).
Shenkman's conclusions about the presidency and the United States are
bleak. He argues that the behavior of American presidents has gotten
worse as the world has grown more complex: "If you looked carefully at
American history you could see a clear pattern of decline. Instead of
things getting better and better over time, as Americans liked to fantasize,
they had gotten worse and worse.... The system over time had become
more and more politically promiscuous, ever more tolerant of a wider and
wider range of unseemly presidential behavior." --Linda Killian
From Kirkus Reviews , December 15, 1998
A timely look at the seamy side of presidential power. Many believe the
morals of American presidents have recently plunged to all-time lows,
reflecting path-breaking abilities to lie and manipulate in the craven
pursuit
of power. Investigative journalist Shenkman (I Love Paul Revere,
Whether He Rode or Not, 1991) reassures us that, while there has been
a gradual decline over time, in fact presidents have behaved this way all
along. Our misperception is based on a relative lack of knowledge about
earlier presidents, and he sets out to correct the record. The fundamental
issue is that ascending to the presidency requires overwhelming ambition,
an ambition that calls for setting aside moral niceties to achieve desired
ends. As the country and government became larger and more complex,
so did the need for amoral ambition to become president. This is not all
bad: an effective president must act forcefully and be willing to do
whatever it takes to achieve public goals. Unfortunately, history is not
filled with such men who are careful to distinguish between public and
personal goals. Consider the records of presidents who have sent
Americans to die in wars: to acquire a great expanse of territory, Polk
repeatedly lied to provoke the Mexican-American War; Wilson ran for
reelection in 1916 on the slogan ``He Kept Us Out of War'' despite
knowing the US would soon be engaged in WWI; Franklin Roosevelt
copied Wilson in 1940 by flirting with isolationism rather than honestly
admitting that entry into WWII was inevitable; from the very beginning,
Vietnam turned Johnson into ``the greatest liar in American history.''
Shenkmans scanning of a list of common political sinselection fraud,
manipulation of the media, dirty tricks in political campaigns, toleration
of
corruption, lying to the publicreveals no recent innovations. Not a pretty
picture, but a realistic one. (Author tour) (For another look at presidential
ethics, see Marvin Olasky, God, Sex, and Statesmanship, p. 1779) --
Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Reviews
"A timely look at the seamy side of presidential power. Not a pretty
picture, but a realistic one."
Seattle Times
"A study of ambition focused primarily on the first 32
presidentsWashington through FDR. Shenkman applies the sort of
character study Robert Caro did in his multiple volumes of Lyndon
Johnson, and Richard Ben Cramer accomplished in his massive take on
the 1988 election, "What it Takes."
Bernard A. Weisberger, columnist, "In the News," American
Heritage
"You'll never breathe the phrase `good old days' again after following
Shenkman's lively excursion through two centuries of the conniving and
dealing that every President except Washington had to undertake to win
or hold the Grand Prize. Tough, fair-minded and a wonderful story."
Robert V. Remini, author of the National Book Award-winning
Andrew Jackson
"This provocative book, written in Richard Shenkman's usual breezy and
journalistic style, explores the ways Presidents obtained, kept and
exercised political power during periods of profound change within
thecountry, including the most devious and underhanded acts imaginable.
Readers who enjoyed his previous works on the legends, lies and myths
of American and world history will find this latest book both stimulating
and entertaining.
Professor Leonard Steinhorn, School of Communication, American
University
"PRESIDENTIAL AMBITION is essential reading for anyone interested
in thepresidency. Author Richard Shenkman has identified what may be
the mostimportant character trait of our presidents -- their driving
ambition --and he shows how that single trait has influenced the key
moments anddecisions in our nation's history. This is not a dry history
text
butrather a lively, enjoyable journey through the minds of the people
whohave led our nation and changed our lives."
W. J. Rorabaugh, History, University of Washington
"Here is a fresh, frank, and entertaining study of presidential
character,warts and all. No one who reads this book will ever again be
surprised by what any president might do. At a deeper level, this work
raisesdisturbing questions about the linkage of ambition, power, and
corruption in the American system." Professor of
Stephen B. Oates, author of The Whirlwind of War and Abraham
Lincoln
"A knowledgeable, witty, charming, and provocative appraisal of the
human foibles of our past presidents."
Book Description of Presidential Ambition : How the Presidents Gained
Power, Kept Power, and Got Things Done by Richard Shenkman
In this timely, provocative, illuminating, and often shocking book. New
York Times bestselling author Richard Shenkman provides a vital context
for understanding the American presidents, today and throughout history.
Combining a potent narrative with persuasive and compelling insights,
Shenkman reveals that it is not just recent presidents who have been
ambitiousand at times frighteningly overambitious, willing to sacrifice
their
health, family, loyalty, and values as they sought to overcome the
obstacles to powerbut they all have. This volcanic ambition, Shenkman
shows, has been essential not only in obtaining power but in facingand
attempting to masterthe great historical forces that have continually
reshaped the United States, from Manifest Destiny and Emancipation to
immigration, the Great Depression, and nuclear weapons.
As Shenkman describes the lives and careers of the most representative
and colorful presidents from Washington to Nixon, he shows that those
who succeeded in reaching the White House, whatever their flaws, were
complicated human beings, idealistic as well as ambitious. Over time,
however, they began to make increasingly troubling compromises, leading
to a decline in t he mortal tone of American politics.
What drove politics downward? In a stunning conclusion, Shenkman
demonstrates that it wasn't a decline in presidential character that was
responsible, but changethe dramatic transformation of the United States
from a country of four million in Washington's day to more than a quarter
billion todaythat made running the country more complicated and difficult.
Instead of things getting better and better they got worse and worse as
people became used to increasingly promiscuous political practices.
First John Adams played politics with national security. Then James Polk
lied the country into war. James Buchana tolerated the bribing of
congressmen. Ulysses S. Grant ignored shocking corruption. Rutehrford
B. Hayes became the first of several presidents to win election through
vote stealing. Grover Clevland pandered to immigrants. Teddy Roosevelt
precipitated an international crises to improve his chances of election.
FDR used the IRS to go after his political enemies. Harry Truman faked
a war scare. John Kennedy played God with nuclear missiles. And
Lyndon Johnson lied and lied and lied.
Sympathetic but balanced in his presentation of the presidents' behavior,
in his richly detailed portraits Shenkman shows just how resourceful they
had to be to survive and succeed. Presidential Ambitiondramatic, lively,
and nakedly honestis a book that will permanently alter the way we think
about past, present, and future American presidents.
Synopsis of Presidential Ambition : How the Presidents Gained
Power, Kept
Power, and Got Things Done by Richard Shenkman
From the bestselling author of "Legends, Lies, and Cherished Myths of
American History" comes an ambitious and fascinating examination of the
men who have continually shaped our nation in the office of the American
presidency.
About the Author of Presidential Ambition : How the Presidents Gained
Power, Kept Power, and Got Things Done by Richard Shenkman
Richard Shenkman is the New York Times bestselling author of five
history books, including Legends, Lies & Cherished Myths of American
History, "I Love Paul Revere, Whether He Rode or Not," and
One-Night Stands with American History, which he co-authored.
Educated at Vassar and Harvard, he is an Emmy Award-winning
investigator reporter and the former managing editor of the news
department at the CBS-TV affiliate in Seattle. Most recently he was the
host, writer, and producer of a prime-time series on the Learning Channel
and before that was a regular contributor to the NBC Sunday Today
show.
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Legends,
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Richard Shenkman, George J. McKeon (Illustrator) / Paperback /
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Richard Shenkman / Paperback / Published 1991
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One-Night
Stands With American History : Odd, Amusing, and
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Our Price: $8.00 ~ You Save: $2.00 (20%)
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Presidential
Ambition : How the Presidents Gained Power, Kept
Power,
and Got Things Done ~ Usually ships in 2-3 days
Richard Shenkman / Hardcover / Published 1999
Our Price: $18.20 ~ You Save: $7.80 (30%)
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'I
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Richard Shenkman
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