Hail to the Chief: The Making and Unmaking of American Presidents
Gerald Ford once said, "We have not an imperial Presidency; we have an imperiled Presidency." In recent years, presidents have bemoaned the red tape, complained about the limitations of the position, and even lambasted the press for the ineffectiveness of the office. InHail to the Chief, Robert Dallek argues that the institution of the Presidency is blamed too often for the shortcomings of its occupants. Character, he says, is what makesAbraham Lincolnstand out fromMillard Fillmore, orFranklin Delano RooseveltovershadowJimmy Carter. Stellar presidents, he maintains, possess vision, pragmatism, persuasiveness, charisma, and credibility--qualities that a great majority of our nation's leaders have sorely lacked.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.