Presidential Power and rthe Modern Presidents A Critical Review

A detailed Summary of Presidential Power and rthe Modern Presidents A Critical Review

Many scholars and academics have claimed that Richard Neustadt's book Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents, a brilliant and insightful commentary on not only the workings of the office of the president but also the pitfalls any president can encounter as well as the way personality and leadership fit into the making of a president. In short, Neustadt almost gives us a model for what a president must be and what he must and must not do. He relives decisions and actions made by past presidents that have affected presidential leadership and power. It is easy to see why many attribute this book the status that it well deserves. It is easy to see why Kennedy reportedly kept a copy of the first edition of this book with him in the oval office. This book is a classic introspective study of the presidency that is unparalleled in quality.

For the most part, Neustadt does not look at presidents individually. Rather he takes situations that relate to his arguments and discusses how different presidents or depending on the situation a certain president dealt with that situation. He begins with what he calls three cases of command that he falls back on continuously through the work. He uses T

ruman's tenuous relationship and eventual dismissal of MacArthur, the decision of Eisenhower to use troops to enforce integration of schools in Arkansas, and the seizure of the steel industry by Truman. He repeatedly refers to the first two of these but uses the latter very little to illustrate his points after initial discussion. The basic structure is very effective because it provides for a study of the presidency as an institution, not a study of presidents.

Neustadt concludes his examination of presidential leadership with what is without a doubt the best example of all of his main points wrapped together and effecting presidential decision making and leadership. Neustadt looks at the Iran Contra affair and the involvement of Reagan in the affair. The scandal and Reagan's involvement or lack thereof illustrates and gives life to all of Neustadt's assertions and arguments. It is almost as if the Iran Contra Affair is a case study in presidential leadership and power that illustrates and gives life to all of Neustadt's main points. It fits in with his arguments almost flawlessly.

I do not question the value of the work but I do question how beneficial it can be. It seems that Neustadt has taken a small number of occurrences and analyzed the past sixty years of presidential leadership in this country. If there is any weakness in the book, that is it. I find it hard to connotatively and collectively analyze presidential leadership since Franklin Roosevelt based on such a small sampling of occurrences. In my eyes, that aspect detracts heavily form the analysis. The situations chosen by Neustadt are major, policy shaping events that happen maybe once in every administration. They have value because they show how a president reacts when faced with a tough situation but they do not show the day to day operations and leadership of a president. That is where the real power of a president is created and that is where the power of a president is undermined and destroyed.

Neustadt also discusses everything that he believes attributes to presidential power. In doing so, he is constantly referring back to the original three cases studied, commenting on them and introducing other relevant experiences. His topics range from the power to persuade, reputation, prestige, and personalities of men in office. In the course of this he reveals what he believes to be the most important traits of any president. He feels that presidents need not necessarily be a genius, but rather somewhat intelligent with outstanding temperament, which I take to mean personality, as well as the experience in government to understand the duties and effectively serve as president.

He uses the example of Lyndon Johnson to illustrate this. Before Johnson ascended to the presidency, he had a long and glorious career in politics and political life. He worked his way up through the system. He knew politics, he knew how government worked, and he knew how to get things done in Washington. Johnson had the makings to be one of our greatest presidents. The early par

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Approximate Word count = 2079
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Politics