Few issues have clung to the presidency in recent years as
tenaciously as that of moral leadership. This timely book, based on
a lifetime of personal observation by an award-winning author,
examines the politics of ideals to propose that, just as moral
purpose without political craft is weak, political acumen without
moral appeal is futile.
Looking back to the timeless political theories of Aristotle and
Machiavelli, Erwin C. Hargrove asks how presidents can most
effectively combine political arts and skills with intellectual and
moral leadership. He draws on his own scholarly research and
synthesizes critical thinking about leadership-especially the
point-counterpoint perspectives of Richard Neustadt and James
MacGregor Burns. With insight and intelligence, he shows how
effective leadership demands a judicious balance of commitment to
the public good and an ability to discern the possibilities for
political action at any moment.
Hargrove argues that political leadership must contain a moral
element if it is to be fully effective, and that a successful
president must provide leadership in accord with the ideals
embedded in American culture. To demonstrate this theory, he
suggests a model with which to analyze, compare, and evaluate
political leaders, and then assesses the presidencies of Franklin
Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, and Ronald Reagan according to the
model's normative implications. By examining the three presidents
in terms of skill, character, cultural leadership, and other
qualities, Hargrove extends his analysis beyond individual
presidents to generate keen insights about presidential leadership
in general.
This thoughtful book clearly demonstrates that craft dissolves
into cleverness without a clear sense of moral purpose, and that
truth-telling, empowerment, and altruism in politics are not only
desirable but achievable. "The President as Leader" is the capstone
of a distinguished career, synthesizing years of observation and
research about issues that occupy the thoughts of many Americans.
In taking Lincoln's evocation of the better angels of our nature as
a source of inspiration for his own reflections, Hargrove reminds
us that we, as leaders, have the means before us to become better
versions of ourselves.
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