The debate is as old as the American Republic and as current as this morning's headlines. Should a president employ the powers of the federal government to advance our national development and increase the influence and power of the United States around the world? Under what circumstances? What sort of balance should the president achieve between competing visions and values on the path to change? Over the course of American history, why have some...

January 17, 1961: President Eisenhower delivered a speech three days before President-elect Kennedy's inauguration: three days that were the culmination of a lifetime of service that took Eisenhower from rural Kansas to West Point, to the battlefields of World War II, and finally to the Oval Office. As president, Eisenhower--former Supreme Commander of Allied Forces during World War II--guided the U.S. out of war in Korea, through the threat of nuclear...

"This work provides a concise, authoritative, and illuminating overview of the Office of the Presidency"--

"Each president brings to the White House a distinct set of personal characteristics and a preferred leadership style, but just how much have individual presidents shaped domestic policy? To understand and assess what factors determine one president's success and another's limited accomplishments, it is important to examine both the individual's leadership roles and the circumstances that shape opportunities for success. This book systematically examines...