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By Mark R. Levin, Jack E Levin. 1965
"Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated…
to the proposition that all men are created equal." Long before his conservative manifesto Liberty and Tyranny became a #1 New York Times bestseller, Mark R. Levin's love for his country was instilled in him by his father, Jack E. Levin. At family dinners, Jack would share his bountiful knowledge of American history and, especially, the inspiration of Abraham Lincoln. The son of immigrants, Jack Levin is an American patriot who responded with deep personal emotion to Lincoln's call for liberty and equality. His admiration for the great Civil War president inspired him to personally design and produce a beautiful volume, enhanced with period illustrations and striking battlefield images by Matthew Brady and other renowned photographers of the era, that brings to life the words of Lincoln's awe-inspiring response to one of the Civil War's costliest conflicts. Now Jack Levin's loving homage to the spirit of American freedom is available in an essential edition that features his original foreword as well as a touching new preface by his son, Mark Levin. In this way, Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address Illustrated celebrates the passing of patriotic pride and historical insight from generation to generation, from father to son. *** The day following the dedication of the National Soldier's Cemetery at Gettysburg, Edward Everett, who spoke before Lincoln, sent him a note saying: "Permit me to express my great admiration for the thoughts expressed by you, with such eloquent simplicity and appropriateness, at the consecration of the cemetery. I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes." Lincoln wrote back to Everett: "In our respective parts yesterday, you could not have been excused to make a short address, nor I a long one. I am pleased to know that in your judgement the little I did say was not entirely a failure."By Jeffrey Zaslow, Mark Kelly, Gabrielle Giffords. 2012
Como individuos, la congresista Gabrielle Giffords y su esposo, el astronauta Mark Kelly, demostraron a los estadounidenses cómo el optimismo,…
el espíritu aventurero y el llamado al servicio pueden ayudar a cambiar el mundo. Como pareja, se convirtieron en un ejemplo nacional del poder sanador que puede encontrarse en la valentía y el amor profundamente compartidos. Su llegada al centro de atención mundial se dio en la peor de las situaciones. El 8 de enero de 2011, al reunirse con sus electores en Tucson, Arizona, Gabby fue víctima de un atentado que dejó seis muertos y trece heridos. Los médicos dijeron que era un "milagro" que hubiera sobrevivido. Íntima, inspiradora, conmovedora e inolvidable, Gabby: Una historia de valor y esperanza cuenta la vida de estas dos personas extraordinarias. Lleva a los lectores detrás de muchas puertas cerradas: a la plataforma de lanzamiento del transbordador espacial, a los vestuarios del Congreso, y a las salas de hospital donde Gabby luchó para recuperarse con la ayuda de formidables equipos médicos y de familiares y amigos dedicados. Gabby: Una historia de valor y esperanza es un recordatorio del poder que tienen la valentía y la paciencia en la superación de obstáculos inimaginables, y de la trascendencia del amor.el about the angry political discourse that was swirling in America at the time of the shooting, and that remains prevalent today? How do they see government living up to the highest possible ideals? And how do they understand and mourn the loss of the people who did not survive that day? Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope is a reminder of the power of true grit, the patience needed to overcome unimaginable obstacles, and the transcendence of love. In the story of Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly, we all can see the best in ourselves. As Mark and Gabby's friends have said: "The two of them are America as we dream it can be."By Richard Nixon. 1990
"Eloquent of the man and . . . of the history he made." --The New York TimesIn the Arena is…
the most personal, profound, and revealing memoir ever written by a major political figure. It is Richard Nixon's frankest, most outspoken book--which includes the inside story of his resignation from the Presidency and its aftermath. President Nixon's previous books have brilliantly chronicled his public career and examined America's strategic role in the world. Now, for the first time, he shares his private thoughts and feelings on his long career, other great leaders at home and abroad, his own family, the state of the world, the arts of politics and diplomacy, and much more--expanding on his 1978 Memoirs and documenting his role as America's Elder Statesman. It's a personal statement by one of the most important and influential figures in American history.By Bill Bradley. 1997
During his terms in the U. S. Senate, Bill Bradley won a national reputation for thoughtfulness, decency, and a willingness…
to take controversial positions on issues ranging from tax reform to the rights of Native Americans. All these qualities inform this best-selling memoir, in which Bradley assesses his political career and the experiences that shaped his convictions, and looks beyond them to consider the state of the American union on the eve of the 21st century. Time Present, Time Pastoffers an intimate portrait of the day-to-day working of the Senate: how legislation gets passed and sometimes thwarted; how money is raised and at what cost. But Bradley also writes about deeper questions: What does it means to be an American in an ago of dwindling opportunities and increasing inequality? How much can we expect from our public servants? What do we owe our fellow citizens? The result is a genuinely revelatory book, informed by intelligence, compassion, and unprecedented candor. "Strikingly reflects the realities of modern politics, what it looks like, feels like, from the inside. "--New York Times Book ReviewBy Natasha Korecki. 2012
"As the circus of the Blagojevich saga unfolded, Natasha Korecki was right at the center.... It was a seriocomedy suited…
to her enterprise and imagination, and she's the one to write the book." -Roger Ebert"Natasha Korecki's chronicle of the Blagojevich saga was a cutting-edge lesson in how to blend old-fashioned reporting with new media." -Richard RoeperChicago, Illinois, and America at large were captivated by the arrest, trial, and general public embarrassment of Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. Only in Chicago is derived from the best of award-winning Chicago Sun-Times reporter Natasha Korecki's work on the Blagojevich scandal, weaving together years of reporting and never-before published details into one straightforward, fast-paced narrative. From the infamous audiotapes to Blagojevich's strange public relations campaign, this is one of the most bizarre true political tales ever told.Beyond the slew of backroom dealmakers who were sucked into the Blagojevich imbroglio, President Barack Obama himself--while never accused of any wrongdoing--was also interviewed by federal prosecutors. Now-mayor Rahm Emanuel's discussions with Blagojevich are included as well. The political figure who became most entangled with the scandal, however, was Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., who is accused of offering Blagojevich $6 million for Obama's vacated Senate seat through an intermediary.By David Landau. 2014
From the former editor in chief of Haaretz, the first in-depth comprehensive biography of Ariel Sharon, the most important Israeli…
political and military leader of the last forty years.The life of Ariel Sharon spans much of modern Israel's history: A commander in the Israeli Army from its inception in 1948, Sharon participated in the 1948 War of Independence, and played decisive roles in the 1956 Suez War and the six day War of 1967, and most dramatically is largely credited with the shift in the outcome of the Yom Kippur War of 1973. After returning from the army in 1982, Sharon became a political leader and served in numerous governments, most prominently as the defense minister during the 1983 Lebanon War in which he bore "personal responsibility" according to the Kahan Commission for massacres of Palestinian civilians by Lebanese militia, and he championed the construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza. But as prime minister he performed a dramatic reversal: orchestrating Israel's unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip. Landau brilliantly chronicles and analyzes his surprising about-face. Sharon suffered a stroke in January 2006 and remains in a persistent vegetative state. Considered by many to be Israel's greatest military leader and political statesman, this biography recounts his life and shows how this leadership transformed Israel, and how Sharon's views were shaped by the changing nature of Israeli society.By Bruce L. Mouser. 2014
William Thomas Scott (1839-1917) was an entrepreneur and political activist from East Saint Louis and Cairo, Illinois, who in 1904…
briefly became the first African American nominated by a national party for president of the United States before his scandalous past forced him to step aside. A free man before the Civil War, Scott was a charismatic hustler who built his fortune through both vice trades and legal businesses including hotels, saloons, and real estate. Publisher and editor of the "Cairo Gazette" and an outspoken advocate for equal rights, he believed in political patronage and frequently rebelled against political bosses who failed to deliver, whether they were white, black, Republican, or Democrat. Scott helped build the National Negro Liberty Party to forward economic, political, and legal rights for his race. But the hustling that had brought him business success proved his undoing as a national political figure. He was the NNLP's initial presidential nominee, only to be replaced by a better-educated and more socially acceptable candidate, George Edwin Taylor. "By Edward I. Koch. 1984
"Kirstin Downey's lively, substantive and--dare I say--inspiring new biography of Perkins . . . not only illuminates Perkins' career but…
also deepens the known contradictions of Roosevelt's character." --Maureen Corrigan, NPR Fresh Air One of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's closest friends and the first female secretary of labor, Perkins capitalized on the president's political savvy and popularity to enact most of the Depression-era programs that are today considered essential parts of the country's social safety network. Frances Perkins is no longer a household name, yet she was one of the most influential women of the twentieth century. Based on eight years of research, extensive archival materials, new documents, and exclusive access to Perkins's family members and friends, this biography is the first complete portrait of a devoted public servant with a passionate personal life, a mother who changed the landscape of American business and society.Frances Perkins was named Secretary of Labor by Franklin Roosevelt in 1933. As the first female cabinet secretary, she spearheaded the fight to improve the lives of America's working people while juggling her own complex family responsibilities. Perkins's ideas became the cornerstones of the most important social welfare and legislation in the nation's history, including unemployment compensation, child labor laws, and the forty-hour work week. Arriving in Washington at the height of the Great Depression, Perkins pushed for massive public works projects that created millions of jobs for unemployed workers. She breathed life back into the nation's labor movement, boosting living standards across the country. As head of the Immigration Service, she fought to bring European refugees to safety in the United States. Her greatest triumph was creating Social Security. Written with a wit that echoes Frances Perkins's own, award-winning journalist Kirstin Downey gives us a riveting exploration of how and why Perkins slipped into historical oblivion, and restores Perkins to her proper place in history.From the Trade Paperback edition.By Adam Gorightly. 2014
"Adam Gorightly offers a unique take on virtually every conspiracy of our time."--Erskine Payton, Erskine OvernightKerry Thornley never imagined that…
after starting a spoof religion in the 1950s that worshipped Eris--the Greek goddess of chaos and discord--that this seeming joke would unleash a torrent of actual chaos into his life in the years to follow.During the late 1950s, Thornley became friends with Lee Harvey Oswald when the two served together in the Marines, and was actually writing a novel based on Oswald three years before John F. Kennedy's assassination. These connections would later cause New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison to suspect that Thornley was one of the notorious Oswald doubles and a part of a JFK assassination plot. Initially, Thornley denied these allegations, but later came to believe that he'd been used as an unwitting pawn in the conspiracy.Adam Gorightly is best known for his book on the Manson Family, The Shadow Over Santa Susana: Black Magic, Mind Control and the Manson Family Mythos. Adam has appeared as a guest on numerous radio shows such as Coast To Coast AM with Ian Punnett and Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis. Television appearances include the History Channel's documentary The Manson Murders.By Gretchen Urness Beito. 1990
Coya Knutson told the press that "Family matters are personal and I will not discuss them in public." Now, Pomegranate…
Press is publishing COYA COME HOME, the intimate biography of Congresswoman Coya Knutson, the Minnesota farmwife who took Washington by storm...and the true story behind the "Coya, Come Home" newspaper headlines that jolted the world."Sparkling, exuberant, bubbling, energetic...she was heading for the moon.She was full of life, electric--and people liked her.She could go into a room and get the dead to wake up." Vice-President Walter F. Mondale "COYA COME HOME," a newspaper headline that reverberated around the world in May 1958, referred to the publication of a letter written by Congresswoman Knutson's husband demanding that she abandon her political aspirations and return home to be a full-time housewife. He charged that the 45-year-old Congresswoman and her handsome 29-year-old administrative assistant were having a love affair. As a consequence of "the letter," Coya Knutson lost her Congressional seat; her personal life was in shambles and her political career was permanently destroyed. For many readers it was simply an amusing tale of the hayseed farmer who wanted his pretty blonde wife back home in the kitchen rather than on Capitol Hill. However, it was also a story of political intrigue, domestic violence and the stifling social attitudes of the time.By Jon Gnarr. 2014
In the epicenter of the world financial crisis, a comedian launched a joke campaign that didn't seem so funny to…
the country's leading politicians . . .It all started when Jón Gnarr founded the Best Party in 2009 to satirize his country's political system. The financial collapse in Iceland had, after all, precipitated the world-wide meltdown, and fomented widespread protest over the country's leadership.Entering the race for mayor of Reykjavík, Iceland's capital, Gnarr promised to get the dinosaurs from Jurassic Park into downtown parks, free towels at public swimming pools, a "drug-free Parliament by 2020" . . . and he swore he'd break all his campaign promises.But then something strange started happening: his campaign began to succeed. And in the party's electoral debut, the Best Party emerged as the biggest winner. Gnarr promptly proposed a coalition government, although he ruled out partners who had not seen all five seasons of The Wire.And just like that, a man whose previous foreign-relations experience consisted of a radio show (in which he regularly crank-called the White House and police stations in the Bronx to see if they had found his lost wallet) was soon meeting international leaders and being taken seriously as the mayor of a European capital.Here, Gnarr recounts how it all happened and, with admirable candor, describes his vision of a more enlightened politics for the future. The point, he writes, is not to be afraid to get involved--or to take on the system.By Cass R. Sunstein. 2013
Simpler government arrived four years ago. It helped put money in your pocket. It saved hours of your time. It…
improved your children's diet, lengthened your life span, and benefited businesses large and small. It did so by issuing fewer regulations, by insisting on smarter regulations, and by eliminating or improving old regulations. Cass R. Sunstein, as administrator of the most powerful White House office you've never heard of, oversaw it and explains how it works, why government will never be the same again (thank goodness), and what must happen in the future. Cutting-edge research in behavioral economics has influenced business and politics. Long at the forefront of that research, Sunstein, for three years President Obama's "regulatory czar" heading the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, oversaw a far-reaching restructuring of America's regulatory state. In this highly anticipated book, Sunstein pulls back the curtain to show what was done, why Americans are better off as a result, and what the future has in store. The evidence is all around you, and more is coming soon. Simplified mortgages and student loan applications. Scorecards for colleges and universities. Improved labeling of food and energy-efficient appliances and cars. Calories printed on chain restaurant menus. Healthier food in public schools. Backed by historic executive orders ensuring transparency and accountability, simpler government can be found in new initiatives that save money and time, improve health, and lengthen lives. Simpler: The Future of Government will transform what you think government can and should accomplish.By Rielle Hunter. 2012
The John Edwards-Rielle Hunter affair made headlines for years. "One of the biggest political scandals of all time," "a fall…
from grace," "a modern-day tragedy"-it's a story that has been reported, distorted, and spun over and over again by the media, by political aides, by the U.S. government, by supposed friends. However, there is someone who actually knows the truth, someone who lived it from day one-the woman at the heart of the story itself: Rielle Hunter.In the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly bestseller What Really Happened, Hunter offers an extremely personal account of her relationship with John Edwards: the facts of how they actually met, how their accidental love started and escalated, what it was like to fall in love with a married man who decided to run for president, the surprise of becoming pregnant during the campaign, how the affair became public, the extensive cover-up, and finally, what happened in the years after Edwards publicly admitted to being the father of their daughter, Frances Quinn.Meet Edwards's political players and get an intimate look at how they really operated. Learn about the evolution of "friends," enablers, and do-gooders, their involvement with the affair and Edwards's 2008 presidential campaign, and where the money from Rachel "Bunny" Mellon and Fred Baron actually went.This book doesn't spin the truth to achieve a prettier picture or a better story. It isn't about changing anyone's mind. It's simply the facts, the truth of what really happened.By Chicago Tribune Staff. 2012
For 20 years, one of the most dynamic figures and accomplished leaders in American politics had never even been elected…
to a position of executive power. Then in early 2011, Rahm Emanuel won the election to become the mayor of Chicago, supplanting Richard M. Daley, who had been firmly entrenched in the role before Emanuel even emerged on the national political scene. Comprised of two decades of Chicago Tribune articles on the man who said "You never want a crisis to go to waste", The Rise of Rahm is a fast-paced retrospective on the bold, authoritative, and above-all-else effective methods of Rahm Emanuel.The Rise of Rahm tracks the meteoric ascent of Emanuel from his effective direction of Bill Clinton's 1992 primary and presidential campaigns through the Tribune's recent five-part series on Emanuel's first year in office as the mayor of Chicago. In between, The Rise of Rahm explores his up-and-down years as a staffer in the Clinton White House, Emanuel's own 2002 congressional run as a representative from Chicago, his exemplarily masterful orchestration of the 2006 Democratic sweep of Congress, his oft-contentious tenure as President Barack Obama's chief of staff, as well as his successful mayoral campaign. Along the way, stories are revealed of Emanuel's infamous mailed fish and lost finger, as well as countless examples of Emanuel as a ruthless tactician, a focused strategist, an on-message adviser, and a spiteful competitor, but above all else, as a gifted power-broker.In this collection, stories of Emanuel's aggressive enthusiasm and profane style are presented next to continuous proof of his ability to build partnerships between major, high-profile players in the worlds of politics and business. This book truly is a fascinating glimpse into the inner world of the man behind nearly every national Democratic power-swing since the early 90s, as written by the group of journalists who have been following Emanuel since his start. For anyone curious in studying where the Chicago mayor has been and where he will be going in his current tenure, The Rise of Rahm is a gripping and telling read on Rahm Emanuel's political ascendance.By Zelda La Grange. 2014
"In Good Morning, Mr. Mandela, Zelda la Grange recounts her remarkable life at the right hand of the man we…
both knew and loved. It's a tribute to both of them--to Madiba's eye for talent and his capacity for trust and to Zelda's courage to take on a great challenge and her capacity for growth. This story proves the power of making politics personal and is an important reminder of the lessons Madiba taught us all." --President Bill Clinton "President Nelson Mandela's choice of the young Afrikaner typist Zelda la Grange as his most trusted aide embodied his commitment to reconciliation in South Africa. She repaid his trust with loyalty and integrity. I have the highest regard for her." --Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu "Zelda la Grange has a singular perspective on Nelson Mandela, having served as his longtime personal aide, confidante and close friend. She is a dear friend to both of us and a touchstone to all of us who loved Madiba. Her story of their journey together demonstrates how a man who transformed an entire nation also had the power to transform the life of one extraordinary woman." --Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary, actor, producer of Invictus A white Afrikaner, Zelda la Grange grew up in segregated South Africa, supporting the regime and the rules of apartheid. Her conservative family referred to the imprisoned Nelson Mandela as "a terrorist." Yet just a few years after his release and the end of apartheid, she would be traveling the world by Mr. Mandela's side, having grown to respect and cherish the man she would come to call "Khulu," or "grandfather." Good Morning, Mr. Mandela tells the extraordinary story of how a young woman's life, beliefs, prejudices--everything she once believed--were utterly transformed by the man she had been taught was the enemy. It is the incredible journey of an awkward, terrified young secretary in her twenties who rose from a job in a government typing pool to become one of the president's most loyal and devoted associates. During his presidency she was one of his three private secretaries, and then became an aide-de-camp and spokesperson and managed his office in his retirement. Working and traveling by his side for almost two decades, La Grange found herself negotiating with celebrities and world leaders, all in the cause of supporting and caring for Mr. Mandela in his many roles. Here La Grange pays tribute to Nelson Mandela as she knew him--a teacher who gave her the most valuable lessons of her life. The Mr. Mandela we meet in these pages is a man who refused to be defined by his past, who forgave and respected all, but who was also frank, teasing, and direct. As he renewed his country, he also freed La Grange from a closed world of fear and mistrust, giving her life true meaning. "I was fearful of so much twenty years ago--of life, of black people, of this black man and the future of South Africa--and I now was no longer persuaded or influenced by mainstream fears. He not only liberated the black man but the white man, too." This is a book about love and second chances that honors the lasting and inspiring gifts of one of the great men of our time. It offers a rare intimate portrait of Nelson Mandela and his remarkable life as well as moving proof of the power we all have to change.By Lewis J. Paper. 1983
This vivid biography reflects the fullness of Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis' personal and professional lives. Born in Kentucky…
shortly before the Civil War, Brandeis rose to national fame as "the people's attorney"--the first public interest lawyer--and went on to become an adviser to Woodrow Wilson and a confidant of Franklin Roosevelt.By Michael R. Wear. 2017
"An important and extremely timely book...Get it, read it, and talk to others about it." --Timothy Keller, author of Reason…
for God "A warm, engaging read of the author’s experience with faith, politics, and the intersection (and sometimes collision) of the two. Reclaiming Hope is an important contribution in this age of religious and political polarization." --J.D. Vance, author of Hillbilly Elegy Before he had turned twenty-one, Michael Wear found himself deep inside the halls of power in the Obama administration as one of the youngest-ever White House staffers. Appointed by the president in 2008 to the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships and later directing faith outreach for the president’s 2012 re-election campaign, Wear threw himself wholeheartedly into transforming hope into change, experiencing first-hand the highs and lows of working as a Christian in government. In this unvarnished account of faith inside the world’s most powerful office, Wear gives unprecedented insight into the most controversial stories of the last eight years, from the president’s change of position on gay marriage and the politicization of religious freedom to the administration’s failure to find common ground on abortion and the bitter controversy over who would give the benediction at the 2012 inauguration. Wear also reveals the behind-the-scenes struggles behind some of the administration’s signature achievements, including the adoption tax credit and making human trafficking a presidential priority. And he offers a rare window onto the ways the president himself viewed the role of faith in politics. More than a memoir of the Obama administration, Reclaiming Hope is also a passionate call for faith in the public square, particularly for Christians to see politics as a means of loving one’s neighbor and of pursuing justice for all while promoting racial reconciliation and fighting for religious freedom for people of all faiths. At a time when large numbers of thoughtful Christians are arguing for withdrawal from participation in public institutions, Wear’s experience at the white-hot center of civic life shows how and why Christians must be involved in every aspect of cultural life—even if failures seem to outnumber successes—while working on behalf of the nation’s common good.By Jean Edward Smith. 2001
Ulysses S. Grant was the first four-star general in the history of the United States Army and the only president…
between Andrew Jackson and Woodrow Wilson to serve eight consecutive years in the White House. As general in chief, Grant revolutionized modern warfare. Rather than capture enemy territory or march on Southern cities, he concentrated on engaging and defeating the Confederate armies in the field, and he pursued that strategy relentlessly. As president, he brought stability to the country after years of war and upheaval. He tried to carry out the policies of Abraham Lincoln, the man he admired above all others, and to a considerable degree he succeeded. Yet today, Grant is remembered as a brilliant general but a failed president. In this comprehensive biography, Jean Edward Smith reconciles these conflicting assessments of Grant's life. He argues convincingly that Grant is greatly underrated as a president. Following the turmoil of Andrew Johnson's administration, Grant guided the nation through the post- Civil War era, overseeing Reconstruction of the South and enforcing the freedoms of new African-American citizens. His presidential accomplishments were as considerable as his military victories, says Smith, for the same strength of character that made him successful on the battlefield also characterized his years in the White House. Grant was the most unlikely of military heroes: a great soldier who disliked the army and longed for a civilian career. After graduating from West Point, he served with distinction in the Mexican War. Following the war he grew stale on frontier garrison postings, despaired for his absent wife and children, and began drinking heavily. He resigned from the army in 1854, failed at farming and other business endeavors, and was working as a clerk in the family leathergoods store when the Civil War began. Denied a place in the regular army, he was commissioned a colonel of volunteers and, as victory followed victory, moved steadily up the Union chain of command. Lincoln saw in Grant the general he had been looking for, and in the spring of 1864 the president brought him east to take command of all the Union armies. Smith dispels the myth that Grant was a brutal general who willingly sacrificed his soldiers, pointing out that Grant's casualty ratio was consistently lower than Lee's. At the end of the war, Grant's generous terms to the Confederates at Appomattox foreshadowed his generosity to the South as president. But, as Smith notes, Grant also had his weaknesses. He was too trusting of his friends, some of whom schemed to profit through their association with him. Though Grant himself always acted honorably, his presidential administration was rocked by scandals. "He was the steadfast center about and on which everything else turned," Philip Sheridan wrote, and others who served under Grant felt the same way. It was this aura of stability and integrity that allowed Grant as president to override a growing sectionalism and to navigate such national crises as the Panic of 1873 and the disputed Hayes-Tilden election of 1876. At the end of his life, dying of cancer, Grant composed his memoirs, which are still regarded by historians as perhaps the finest military memoirs ever written. They sold phenomenally well, and Grant the failed businessman left his widow a fortune in royalties from sales of the book. His funeral procession through the streets of Manhattan closed the city, and behind his pallbearers, who included both Confederate and Union generals, marched thousands of veterans from both sides of the war.By Robert W. Merry. 2012
The author of the acclaimed biography of President James Polk, A Country of Vast Designs, offers a fresh, playful, and…
challenging way of playing "Rating the Presidents," by pitching historians' views and subsequent experts' polls against the judgment and votes of the presidents' own contemporaries. Merry posits that presidents rise and fall based on performance, as judged by the electorate. Thus, he explores the presidency by comparing the judgments of historians with how the voters saw things. Was the president reelected? If so, did his party hold office in the next election? Where They Stand examines the chief executives Merry calls "Men of Destiny,'' those who set the country toward new directions. There are six of them, including the three nearly always at the top of all academic polls--Lincoln, Washington, and FDR. He describes the "Split-Decision Presidents'' (including Wilson and Nixon)--successful in their first terms and reelected; less successful in their second terms and succeeded by the opposition party. He describes the "Near Greats'' (Jefferson, Jackson, Polk, TR, Truman), the "War Presidents'' (Madison, McKinley, Lyndon Johnson), the flat-out failures (Buchanan, Pierce), and those whose standing has fluctuated (Grant, Cleveland, Eisenhower). This voyage through our history provides a probing and provocative analysis of how presidential politics works and how the country sets its course. Where They Stand invites readers to pitch their opinions against the voters of old, the historians, the pollsters--and against the author himself. In this year of raucous presidential politics, Where They Stand will provide a context for the unfolding campaign drama.