An entertaining, insightful history of the men who've held the office, from the division between Jefferson and Hamilton through Bill Clinton's campaign for national health care.
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Editorial Reviews
From Kirkus Reviews
If Vidal (The Smithsonian Institution, 1998, etc.) isn't the last wild man remaining in the American literary left, then it's hard to say who is. At any rate, this little volume will certainly add to the novelist's reputation in that role. In fact, the book looks like something that Vidal dashed off on his coffee break. Consisting of the text of a three-part British TV series, with a brief afterword added, its an extremely condensed thumbnail history of the institution of the presidency, from its almost accidental beginnings in the aftermath of the Revolution to the offices present-day decay into what Vidal gleefully dismisses as a glorified broadcasting job. ``Currently, the American empire is governed not from the Oval Office, but from the White House TV studio,'' he opines, a statement that recent events have done nothing to gainsay. Vidal regards the evolution of the presidency as a peculiar product of domestic paralysisenforced by the powers of the rich and corporatecombined with a free hand in the realm of foreign affairs. As a result, activist presidents have tended to be those who concocted expansionist policies, usually to the sorrow of countries that were beneficiaries of a rather brutal form of American largesse. Scattered throughout here are small surprises, such as Vidal's sympathy for Lyndon Johnson as a president genuinely concerned with a progressive domestic agenda, and his almost throwaway characterization of Polk as ``intelligent, low-key.'' Most of the time, though, the author giddily, flippantly slags off every occupant of the White House, from Washington to Bushalthough he seems to maintain a certain odd affection for Clintonin terms that run from the genuinely witty to the outright sophomoric. As a satirical novelist, Vidal is the nearest thing to Mark Twain. But as an essayist, he often leaves a lot to be desired. This is one of those times. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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More About the Author
Gore Vidal has received the National Book Award, written numerous novels, short stories, plays and essays. He has been a political activist and as Democratic candidate for Congress from upstate New York, he received the most votes of any Democrat in a half-century.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
not essential, but very helpful,
This review is from: The American Presidency (The Real Story Series) (Paperback)
For those who don't have the time to read James Loewen's "Lies My Teacher Told Me" this book is a nice short summary of why we shouldn't take the institution of the American presidency too seriously. Also, it highlights the grossly mistaken manner in which American history is taught in the nation's high schools. Vidal makes it clear that far from the proud heroes presented in the history textbooks, most American presidents were just ordinary guys with more than their far share of flaws. He also explains why it is important to understand that the policies led by these flawed, often greedy and usually power hungry individuals had grave consequences not only for America but most of the world.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unforgiving, to the point, and funny,
By
This review is from: The American Presidency (The Real Story Series) (Paperback)
The book/pamphlet is unusual. It is quick reading and very amusing and funny. It does not try to be completely historically detailed and is not written in the scholarly style but rather goes through the key American presidents in order and gives a brief description of their character, accomplishments, and the problems they faced/solved/created.In my opinion, Gore Vidal can be considered an elite insider of the US system. He pretty much writes as one blatantly and I believe he is making a point: here is someone on the inside who knows many of the presidents, politicians, the rich, and the media editors and is presenting history through such a perspective and in such a mode. He is a traditional republican and conservative (in the original sense of these words, hence the lower case use): foreign adventures/interventions, domestic political repression, economic polarization, and increasing corporate control are things he speaks against vehemently. For these reasons, this is a very refreshing book to read. In addition, the book raises and deals with important questions about the presidency as an institution: what are its limitations and powers? How did this historically lead to its use and abuse for particular ends by various characters? What types of people were the various presidents and how did they change this institution? Finally, Gore Vidal sees the US in the process of a slow but steady downfall, particularly since the Cold War years (1950s): politically, culturally, and economically (since the 1980s). The costs of being imperial master, with attendant crushing stifling of dissent at home, the huge military spendings and deficits, and foreign interventions and the loss of foreign and US life in the process, etc. are reviewed quite negatively in this book. Whether you believe this or not is something else, and the facts he produces are suggestive only (but then again, In short, I recommend the book. As long as read properly, it provides quite some insight into American history. If you're looking for detailed history, facts and figures, and precise arguments, go elsewhere. If you're looking for a quick overall and consistent viewpoint and history viewed in broad burshstrokes, this book really hits the spot.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It's that time again,
By mrgrieves08 (tucson) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The American Presidency (The Real Story Series) (Paperback)
What better book to get us ready for the onslaught of lies, distortions, and manufactured history, that is sure to flow as this year's presidential election draws near. In this brief introduction (thats why I only gave it 4 stars, it would have been better if it were a little more detailed) to America's number one sacred cow, the presidency, Gore Vidal ( A distant relative to Al Gore)gives us a much needed dose of reality, as unsavory as that may be. This book is based upon a British television documentary that Vidal created, which was sold to The History Channel. What happened next is a sad commentary on the American Media, and its willingness to censor dissenting views. Instaed of cancelling this documentary, they instead decided to have the "hosts" dispute practically every point in an obvious attempt to discredit it. Of course, the corporations that own the History channel, and have benefited most from the corruption that Vidal's book exposes are the real culprits in this case, exposing a problem that goes much deeper than just media bias. As Vidal says, this book is not only about the Presidency, it is about control; not only of what we as citizens are allowed to see and form our own opions of, but also what we can express. Presidents are not gods, even though they tend to act like they are. The important thing that this book tells us is that all people should be held accountible to the same laws, and this does not just start with Clinton. It has dated back to our earliest leaders, men who proudly owned slaves, declared unjust wars, supported terrorism, and ordered bombings of innocent civilians. We must see these men for who they are, not as the god-like figures on Mt. Rushmore, or the granite and marble of Washington, but as the criminals that many of them were.
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