At the President's Side: The Vice Presidency in the Twentieth Century (Hardcover)

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From Library Journal
Based on a 1995 conference at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library, where Walch is director of the Hoover Library and Museum, this volume covers vice presidents from Theodore Roosevelt to Dan Quayle?an important topic, as five vice presidents since World War II have ascended to the presidency. Clearly, the personality of the president has contributed to the success of the vice president; contributors contrast the positive Carter/Mondale team with the Johnson/Humphrey model. These essays, discussions, and bibliographic profiles, whose authors range from Robert Dallek to R.W. Apple Jr., are useful and readable. Recommended for public and academic libraries.?William D. Pederson, Louisiana State Univ. in Shreveport
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
An informative examination of the most overlooked national office in America. Walch, director of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library, has gathered together papers presented at a recent conference on the vice presidency in the 20th century. Most of the pieces included here explore the historical, political, and constitutional forces that have shaped the office. Theodore Roosevelt's ascendancy to the presidency on the assassination of McKinley in 1901 led future party leaders to more strongly consider the choice of a vice president, because despite his very strong presidency, Roosevelt was considered a loose cannon by establishment Republicans. The vice presidents under Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman ranged from colorful--as in the case of John Nance Garner, FDR's first vice president, who labeled his office ``not worth a pitcher of warm piss''--to sturdy ``company men'' like Alben Barkley, Truman's vice president, to whom the term ``veep'' was first applied. Beginning with Nixon's vice presidency, the collection turns toward more pressing issues, such as the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, which allows a standing president to hand-pick a vice president with the Senate's confirmation, and the damage that is done when an assertive vice president is eclipsed--and even held in check--by a formidable president, as happened to Lyndon Johnson during John Kennedy's term. As a result of Johnson's frustrations, he made the quite able Hubert Humphrey his frequent patsy, ruining the latter's chances for the presidency. The unlikely hero of this collection is Walter Mondale, whose assertiveness as vice president under Jimmy Carter has shaped the executive relationship for the past two decades. The essays on the Reagan and Bush administrations, the former asserting that Bush acceded to the presidency ``perfectly prepared after eight years'' as vice president, despite his obvious failures as chief executive, and the latter a memoir by the always lighter-than-air Dan Quayle, are the only weak spots in this otherwise sound and useful volume. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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1 Review 5 star:    (0) 4 star:  (1) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Collection, July 11, 2008 By  Marc Korman (Maryland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    At The President's Side is was created as the result of a symposium at the Hoover Presidential Library. As a result, it is a collection of academic essays that do not always fit together perfectly, but offer lots of greats anecdotes about the VPs from Teddy Roosevelt to Al Gore. During that period, the Vice Presidency has grown in power and stature, with some temporary regressions along the way. Each chapter discusses one, two, or three Vice Presidents, how and why they were picked, what their accomplishments were, and usually what they did after the Vice Presidency. The book occasionally mentions how losing VP nominees were picked, but could have had a whole chapter on that topic, since it would have complimented the discussion of how successful VP nominees were picked. The end of the book is excerpted directly from the symposium and includes a scattering of stories and recommendations for the future. One troubling discussion is Richard Neustadt's contention that the 25th Amendment is unnecessary and that the Eisenhower/Nixon agreement worked because it "made a sensible personal agreement - two men confronting their personal problem." That seems like a total mischaracterization. First, the Eisenhower/Nixon arrangement had its problems. Second, Presidential inability is not a person problem between the President and Vice President. It is a political and national problem. That is why the VP selection process needs to be rigorous and then the relationship between the President and VP needs to be collaborative. Because the VP really is one heart beat away. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all customer reviews...		Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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