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Title: The American Presidency: An Intellectual History by Forrest McDonald ISBN: 0-7006-0749-8 Publisher: Univ Pr of Kansas Pub. Date: October, 1995 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (5 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The American Presidency: An Intellectual History
Comment: The American Presidency: An Intellectual History written by Forrest McDonald is a book with incisive analysis of political ideas which are found in the characteristics involving the Presidency of the United States. This book is well founded in the history and is solid in early hystory.
The presidency is given a thorough thought-provoking, with historical review, going over... leaving the reader with insight into the institution of the presidency. We are guided with a shrewd sense of political reality, making us understand what the presidency is all about. Reading this book will open up and give us an erudite exanination of the roots of the American presidency... so much so, that you'll feel history come alive and jump right in your lap.
I particularly found the writing on the Washington and Jefferson presidencies to be of great value as the author shows us how these men distinguished the office and made important contributions to our constitutional history. The reader finds out about the awesome responsibilities combined with unique opportunities to persuade others to do their bidding.
In truth, presidentual power is complex and ambiguous, traits that stem from the constitutional provisions for the office... the executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States according to Article 2 of the Constitution... unequivocally. This book is well documented and is written in a masterful narritive, but is easily understood. I found that the early work to be indispensable as the ground work is set and the office is determined. Though the restraints and limits are necessary, they are not, in the nature of things, susceptible to delineation and definition.
As the book progresses on in the life of the presidency we see the individual personallities of the men who served in to office begin to shape the outcome of the office. Making scupulous adherence to written law, self-preservation, and the safety of the nation all interplay in the balance of power between the different branches of the constitutional government.
If you really want to know more about the presidency, look no further as this books gives the reader an illuminating insight with theoretical background of the presidency. this is a very informative and fascinating book.
Rating: 2
Summary: Cohesive First Half; Arbitrary Second Half
Comment: Professor McDonald marginally develops the intellectual foundation for the presidency and produces soundly researched insights into the presidencies of Washington and Jefferson, but the book cascades into a morass of arbitrary research and shallow analysis in the second half.
His treatment of early philosophical underpinnings for a presidential-type leader is overly long is not well-connected with the actual thoughts and writings of the founders, but his attempt is admirable. The book reaches its height in the examination of the presidencies of Washington and Jefferson, particularly with regard to Jefferson. McDonald describes Jefferson as an astute molder of presidential authority, especially in relation to a quasi-legislative role with Congress and with regard to international relations.
In the last half of the book, however, McDonald turns rather cavalier in his research and arbitrary in his conclusions. Mostly secondary research is selectively presented and arguments are developed with little depth. Most alarmingly for a seasoned and well-regarded historian, his partisanship is scarcely veiled. He defends Nixon as a sympathetic foreign affairs wizard who tried to reign in an irresponsible Congress, but fell prey to a shallow and vindictive press. While a full treatment of Nixon is hardly within the boundaries of this book, Nixon's self-induced problems and serious attempts at Constitutional disruption are embarrassingly not discussed. Additionally, his unabashed admiration for Reagan, while blaming Congress for huge budget deficits and while indicting both a partisan Congress and the press for exaggerating the Iran-Contra affair, displays a lack of judicious and rigorous analysis.
Not a waste of time, but not satisfactory either.
Rating: 3
Summary: Great at the Creation, Dubious in the Present
Comment: Prof. McDonald clearly knows his 18th century stuff. The bulk of this book is solidly grounded in his earlier work on the Constitutional convention, the framers, and the early presidents (especially George Washington). But his later discussion of the growth of the presidency is much less well linked to current literature or with historical fact. So: a must read for the "intellectual origins" parts of the book, but much less essential for the present day. For that, try Richard Pious' or Tom Cronin's work.
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Title: The Modern American Presidency by Lewis L. Gould, Richard Norton Smith ISBN: 0700612521 Publisher: Univ Pr of Kansas Pub. Date: May, 2003 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: Alexander Hamilton: A Biography by Forrest McDonald ISBN: 039330048X Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: October, 1982 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title: The Politics Presidents Make: Leadership from John Adams to Bill Clinton by Stephen Skowronek ISBN: 0674689372 Publisher: Belknap Pr Pub. Date: May, 1997 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Ferocious Engine of Democracy: A History of the American Presidency: From the Origins Through William McKinley by Michael P. Riccards, James MacGregor Burns ISBN: 1568331029 Publisher: Madison Books Pub. Date: September, 1997 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Understanding the Presidency (3rd Edition) by James P. Pfiffner, Roger H. Davidson ISBN: 0321089863 Publisher: Pearson Longman Pub. Date: 20 June, 2002 List Price(USD): $49.00 |
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