Presidential Leadership: Rating the Best and the Worst in the White House (Wall Street Journal Book) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0743274083 ISBN 13: 9780743274081

Publisher: Free Press, 2005

Synopsis

Where Does Your Favorite President Rank? Based on a completely new nationwide survey prepared exclusively for this edition of Presidential Leadership, two of America's most prominent institutions, The Wall Street Journal and the Federalist Society, explore just what it is that makes a president great and then rank each from best to worst. Now with updated chapters on Bush and "Leadership in the Midst of Controversy" a wide range of eminent scholars, journalists, and political leaders evaluate the competence of our nation's chief executives, including that of George W. Bush's first complete term in office. From John McCain on Teddy Roosevelt to Kenneth Starr on Richard Nixon, editors James Taranto and Leonard Leo have collected a series of lively, provocative, and highly readable essays evaluating the terms of each of the forty-three U.S. presidents. Other contributors include Douglas Brinkley on James Polk, Melanie Kirkpatrick on Millard Fillmore, Jay Winik on Abraham Lincoln, and Lynne Cheney on James Madison. Fascinating and often surprising, the book reveals who was voted the most controversial and who was the most over- and underrated from the nationwide survey of liberal and conservative scholars, balanced to reflect the political makeup of the U.S. population as a whole. Presidential Leadership is a pleasure to read and an authoritative reference for every library.

About this title

About the Author

James Taranto is editor of OpinionJournal.com, the website of The Wall Street Journal's editorial page.

Leonard Leo serves as executive vice president of the Federalist Society, an organization of 35,000 lawyers and other individuals committed to limited, constitutional government as envisioned by the framers of the Constitution.

William J. Bennett served as Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under President George H. W. Bush and as Secretary of Education and Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities under President Reagan. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy from Williams College, a doctorate in political philosophy from the University of Texas, and a law degree from Harvard. He is the author of such bestselling books as The Educated Child, The Death of Outrage, The Book of Virtues, and the two-volume series America: The Last Best Hope. Dr. Bennett is the former host of the nationally syndicated radio show Bill Bennett's Morning in America and the current host of the popular podcast, The Bill Bennett Show. He is also the Washington Fellow of the Claremont Institute and a regular contributor to CNN. He, his wife, Elayne, and their two sons, John and Joseph, live in Maryland.

Synopsis

Edited by a prominent "Wall Street Journal" editor and a distinguished Federalist Society thinker, "Presidential Leadership", the first comprehensive book of its kind that rates U.S. presidents, includes an updated chapter on George W. Bush and his first term in office. The only national survey published in book form, it features multiple categories of best and worst rankings, most over- and underrated, and most controversial, to name a few, along with essays on each president and his leadership abilities. A variety of historians, scholars, journalists and current and former government officials weigh in with their opinions, from Jay Winik on Lincoln, Lynne Cheney on Madison, and John McCain on Theodore Roosevelt to Robert Bork on FDR, Kenneth Starr on Nixon, and Peggy Noonan on JFK. With William Bennett providing an engaging Foreword, readers can also enjoy provocative essays on the individual qualities essential for a Commander-in-Chief. Whether one is liberal, conservative, or anywhere in between, "Presidential Leadership" is an informative and engaging resource about the successes, failures and final legacies of the inhabitants of the Oval Office.

About this edition

• Publisher: Free Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0743274083
• ISBN 13: 9780743274081
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 312
• Editor: Taranto James