A Call to Greatness: Challenging Our Next President examines how our next President can learn from the successes and failures of past Presidents to be an effective leader during a time of tremendous challenges at home and abroad. The present state of our union requires a creative reexamination of our national interests, a comprehensive vision, a leader with the ability to organize and marshal the best people and resources and a leader with the capacity to communicate this vision to our citizens and the world. This book has been circulated amongst the candidates for the 2008 United States Presidency prior to being published. The non-partisan, non-profit Center for the Study of the Presidency looks forward to the ensuing exchange of views on the nature of Presidential leadership and characteristics required of our next President.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
Writing in the tradition of Richard Neustadt, whose memos were so helpful to an incoming John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton, Abshire brings history alive, drawing from it wise lessons for the president immediately upon taking office. Mark this down for required reading in the next White House. (David Gergen )
David Abshire has distilled a lifetime of service and study into a single bracing volume. It is a must-read for the Presidential candidates, those who serve them, and every citizen who cares about the challenges we face. (George Stephanopoulos )
Every presidential candidate--and every president--should read A Call to Greatness. David Abshire has long been one of Washington's true Wise Men, and he teaches many important lessons from the past. At a dangerous time when leaders seem stuck in partisan bickering, Abshire shows what the people want and the nation needs. (Evan Thomas )
Every presidential candidate--and every president--should read A Call to Greatness. David Abshire has long been one of Washington's true Wise Men, and he teaches many important lessons from the past. At a dangerous time when leaders seem stuck in partisan bickering, Abshire shows what the people want and the nation needs. (Evan Thomas )
In A Call to Greatness, David Abshire has provided an invaluable guide, which includes the lessons learned from the experiences of past administrations as well as time-honored principles of superior leadership. (The Honorable Edwin Meese III )
In A Call to Greatness, David Abshire has provided an invaluable guide, which includes the lessons learned from the experiences of past administrations as well as time-honored principles of superior leadership. (The Honorable Edwin Meese III )
A Call to Greatness is a challenge not just to the presidential candidates but to the nation itself. David Abshire draws from the lessons of history the fundamental values that must guide the next president - vision, integrity and statesmanship. We govern by leadership or crisis. David Abshire makes clear that it is time for leadership. (The Honorable Leon E. Panetta )
A Call to Greatness is a challenge not just to the presidential candidates but to the nation itself. David Abshire draws from the lessons of history the fundamental values that must guide the next president - vision, integrity and statesmanship. We govern by leadership or crisis. David Abshire makes clear that it is time for leadership. (The Honorable Leon E. Panetta )
This publication will help the next President and other senior government leaders learn from the past and better prepare for the future. (The Honorable David M. Walker )
Almost every era in our nation's history seems to have confronted serious challenges. I hope the Presidential candidates will learn as much from this book as I did. Its historical examples make for very compelling reading - much more so than simply citing a set of 'rules.' (Norman Augustine )
In his four decades in Washington, David Abshire has seen a lot of history made from the White House. Here he deftly plucks pertinent lessons from history for whomever the voters send to the White House to make more history. (George F. Will )
This book will find an audience among political pundits and members of the general public who are keen observers of the 2008 presidential election season. (Choice 2008 )
The presentation is balanced and fair, and it serves as a good introduction for a more general audience. (Public Administration Review, September/ October 2009 )
David Abshire has distilled a lifetime of service and study into a single bracing volume. It is a must-read for the Presidential candidates, those who serve them, and every citizen who cares about the challenges we face. (George Stephanopoulos )
Every presidential candidate--and every president--should read A Call to Greatness. David Abshire has long been one of Washington's true Wise Men, and he teaches many important lessons from the past. At a dangerous time when leaders seem stuck in partisan bickering, Abshire shows what the people want and the nation needs. (Evan Thomas )
Every presidential candidate--and every president--should read A Call to Greatness. David Abshire has long been one of Washington's true Wise Men, and he teaches many important lessons from the past. At a dangerous time when leaders seem stuck in partisan bickering, Abshire shows what the people want and the nation needs. (Evan Thomas )
In A Call to Greatness, David Abshire has provided an invaluable guide, which includes the lessons learned from the experiences of past administrations as well as time-honored principles of superior leadership. (The Honorable Edwin Meese III )
In A Call to Greatness, David Abshire has provided an invaluable guide, which includes the lessons learned from the experiences of past administrations as well as time-honored principles of superior leadership. (The Honorable Edwin Meese III )
A Call to Greatness is a challenge not just to the presidential candidates but to the nation itself. David Abshire draws from the lessons of history the fundamental values that must guide the next president - vision, integrity and statesmanship. We govern by leadership or crisis. David Abshire makes clear that it is time for leadership. (The Honorable Leon E. Panetta )
A Call to Greatness is a challenge not just to the presidential candidates but to the nation itself. David Abshire draws from the lessons of history the fundamental values that must guide the next president - vision, integrity and statesmanship. We govern by leadership or crisis. David Abshire makes clear that it is time for leadership. (The Honorable Leon E. Panetta )
This publication will help the next President and other senior government leaders learn from the past and better prepare for the future. (The Honorable David M. Walker )
Almost every era in our nation's history seems to have confronted serious challenges. I hope the Presidential candidates will learn as much from this book as I did. Its historical examples make for very compelling reading - much more so than simply citing a set of 'rules.' (Norman Augustine )
In his four decades in Washington, David Abshire has seen a lot of history made from the White House. Here he deftly plucks pertinent lessons from history for whomever the voters send to the White House to make more history. (George F. Will )
This book will find an audience among political pundits and members of the general public who are keen observers of the 2008 presidential election season. (Choice 2008 )
The presentation is balanced and fair, and it serves as a good introduction for a more general audience. (Public Administration Review, September/ October 2009 )
About the Author
David M. Abshire is the president of the Center for the Study of the Presidency, president of the Richard Lounsbery Foundation, and vice chairman of the Board of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, which he co-founded in 1962. His full-time government service includes Congressional staff (1958-1960), assistant secretary of state for Congressional Relations (1970-73), Ambassador to NATO (1983-87), and in the Presidential Cabinet as special counselor of President Reagan in 1987. Dr. Abshire is currently a member of the Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council Academe, Policy and Research Senior Advisory Committee. He lives in Washington, D.C.
David M. Abshire is the president of the Center for the Study of the Presidency, president of the Richard Lounsbery Foundation, and vice chairman of the Board of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, which he co-founded in 1962. His full-time government service includes Congressional staff (1958-1960), assistant secretary of state for Congressional Relations (1970-73), Ambassador to NATO (1983-87), and in the Presidential Cabinet as special counselor of President Reagan in 1987. Dr. Abshire is currently a member of the Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council Academe, Policy and Research Senior Advisory Committee. He lives in Washington, D.C.
David M. Abshire is the president of the Center for the Study of the Presidency, president of the Richard Lounsbery Foundation, and vice chairman of the Board of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, which he co-founded in 1962. His full-time government service includes Congressional staff (1958-1960), assistant secretary of state for Congressional Relations (1970-73), Ambassador to NATO (1983-87), and in the Presidential Cabinet as special counselor of President Reagan in 1987. Dr. Abshire is currently a member of the Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council Academe, Policy and Research Senior Advisory Committee. He lives in Washington, D.C.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best book yet about a mature presidential attitude,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: A Call to Greatness: Challenging our Next President (Computer Pkgs & Research) (Hardcover)
With all due respect for one of the best books ever written on the need for a change in presidential attitudes, opinions and policies, this book opens with a profound error in its first paragraph.
"The President will inherit a polarized nation . . . " the fourth sentence begins. Personally, and this is true for whoever is elected, I believe the President will inherit a nation profoundly united in a desire for constructive new policies. Writing as someone not born in the U.S., my experience from long before I arrived is that Americans are kind, warm-hearted, generous, tolerant and always optimistic about a better future. Americans deserve a president as good as their own character. The sterling character of most Americans is the ability to get along with others. It's only when politicians try to boss others around that problems develop at home and abroad. In essence, the qualities outlined in this book are those expressed by the President of Mexico about 160 years ago: "Peace is respect for the rights of others". Abshire is a West Point graduate, a longtime history professor and a scholar of presidential leadership. He provides brief character sketches of great presidents, plus the strengths and foibles of all from President Franklin Roosevelt to today. It's not praise or criticism of anyone; instead, it presents a lesson for the next president. George Stephanopoulos says this book "is a must-read for the Presidential candidates." Definitely. It is also a must-read for voters, to provide a rational basis to evaluate the qualities of the candidates. His emphasis isn't on any specific goals, for those are unique to each candidate; instead, he outlines the best method of achieving goals. The last great era of economic, social and material progress in America began in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in response to the Soviet launch of the first space satellite. Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy used the energies of a united nation to earn a dominant lead in aeronautics, electronics and engineering. America today is similarly united in its desire to overcome the mistakes of the past. To achieve it, the next president needs the wisdom of Abshire rather than the brusque orders of partisanship, the commandments of ideology or the mandates of a "decider". More than politics, this book is for everyone interested in a free and respected future for an America which is once again respected for its inherent decency. Ignore the ideas and ideals in this book, and nothing else will matter.
5.0 out of 5 stars
I am a Registered Independent,
By Bob Diaz "Bobbyd" (Sierra Vista, Arizona USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Call to Greatness: Challenging our Next President (Computer Pkgs & Research) (Hardcover)
A Call to Greatness: Challenging our Next President
I am and have been a registered Independent for over two years. Dr. Abshires' book is an "OUTSTANDING" piece of work. He not only points out issues with our past utilizing Presidential Portraits, but he makes some very thoughtful suggestions regarding our future and how we might improve upon it. This is definitely a "MUST READ" for our current Presidential candidates. It is also very worthwhile for us citizens since we will be making that choice in November. We have to get it right; it's Our Country and Our Future and the Future of Our Children. I "HIGHLY RECOMMEND" this book.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Book,
By
This review is from: A Call to Greatness: Challenging our Next President (Computer Pkgs & Research) (Hardcover)
As an Assistant Intern to Dr. Abshire this past Summer, I assisted in writing footnotes for this book. Not only is Dr. Abshire a tremendous leader, aiding President Reagan in the Iran Contra Scandal as a Special Advisor, he is a tremendous historian. I recommend this book to anyone possessing the desire to better understand the past in order to understand our Nation's future. As Dr. Abshire often says, quoting Mark Twain, "History doesn't repeat itself, but it can rhyme." This book should be a National Bestseller, following in the footsteps of Michael Beschloss, to whom I feel Dr. Abshire is a superior historian. Either way, this book is a fantastic read and I recommend it to anyone interested in the presidency, leadership, or the future of America.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
