Imperfect Presidents: Tales of Misadventure and Triumph

Be the first to write a review

All Available Formats + Editions

——

$9.99

NOOK Book

——

$9.99

Imperfect Presidents: Tales of Misadventure and Triumph (eBook - First Edition) Pub. Date: 3/20/2007 Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
$0.01

$24.95

Hardcover

$0.01

$24.95

Imperfect Presidents: Tales of Misadventure and Triumph Pub. Date: 3/20/2007 Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

Advertising

Overview

In this clever portrait of the American presidency, Jim Cullen takes ten presidents down from their pedestals by examining key missteps in their careers—and how they transcended them. Examples include Abraham Lincoln smearing a preacher and rediscovering his religious vision in emancipating slaves; Lyndon Johnson's electoral fraud in his 1948 Senate race and his role in the signing of the Voting Rights Act; and Ronald Reagan's subversion of the Constitution in the Iran-Contra affair and affirmation of world peace in helping bring about the end of the Cold War. Targeting Republicans and Democrats alike, Cullen's insights are surprisingly timely and hugely entertaining.

Editorial Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

Eleven presidents examined closely for their most salient errors-but all viewed within the contexts of their personal histories and their times. Cullen, who has previously held forth on U.S. history (The American Dream, 2003) and popular culture (Born in the U.S.A., 1997), begins and ends with bite-sized essays on, respectively, the president we want and the president we need. In between are some of both. All 11 of them have human weaknesses-sometimes endearing, sometimes debilitating-that contributed to their successes and failures. If the author can overstate his case (was George Washington's fumbling with his eyeglasses in 1783 as consequential as Cullen argues?), he can also present complex events with lucidity. John Quincy Adams may have been an ineffectual president, but his firm anti-slavery positions in the House were pivotal. Chester A. Arthur betrayed political allies to become vice president. FDR tried to alter the structure of the Supreme Court. LBJ played fast-and-loose with election laws in his first campaign for U.S. Senate. President Ford pardoned a crook. President Reagan traded arms for hostages and funded an illegal war (but we still liked him). Early in his first term, President Clinton (a man too randy for his or our good) unwisely pursued health-care reform, perhaps to appease his wife, who was furious about his serial infidelities. And the current President Bush has, so far, committed two egregious errors: invading Iraq, and failing to respond effectively to Hurricane Katrina. The author is an amiable and informed companion, though he sometimes loses track of what he's said. He describes JFK as "an empty suit," then, near the end, declares, "It is not possible toelect an empty suit President of the United States . . ." He admires Theodore Roosevelt and Lincoln but calls George W. Bush "among the worst" of all presidents. Old rather than bold news, written with conviction.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781403975133
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Publication date: 3/20/2007
Pages: 256
Product dimensions: 6.25 (w) x 9.65 (h) x 0.94 (d)

Meet the Author

Jim Cullen is the author of "Born in the USA" (Literary Guild Alternate), "The American Dream," and other books. He has taught at Harvard, Brown, and Sarah Lawrence College, and currently teaches at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York, where he also serves on the Board of Trustees. He lives in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.

Acknowledgments     ix
Foreword: The President We Want     1
Prologue: General Washington Coddles a Protege     9
Vice President-Elect Jefferson Stabs a Friend in the Back     23
Former President Adams Can't Stop Gagging     39
Representative Lincoln Smears a Preacher     61
"Gentleman Boss" Arthur Bites the Hand that Feeds Him     75
Dude T.R. Enters the Arena     89
F.D.R. Courts Disaster     103
"Landslide Lyndon" Takes a Position     119
Vice President Ford Stumbles at the Gate     135
"The Gipper" Loses One     149
"Slick Willie" Slips and Falls     169
Epilogue: President Bush Fumbles an Invasion     185
Afterword: The President We Need     193
Reading Guide     197
Notes     201
Source Notes     219
Index     231

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review

( 0 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines

Tell the world what you think of this product.

Add Recommendations

Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

- HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
- Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
- Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
- Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
- Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
- Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
- Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

- By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
- Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
- See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.

If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble