Perfectly timed to anticipate the possible election of a new
president in 1996, the second edition of James Pfiffner's "The
Strategic Presidency" provides the most complete and authoritative
volume on presidential transitions from JFK to Bill Clinton. First
published in 1988, it is now more valuable than ever with the
addition of new chapters on the Bush and Clinton transitions and
numerous other revisions that greatly update the volume.
When the book first appeared eight years ago, it was hailed by
the "American Political Science Review" as an important new work
following in "the path that Richard Neustadt long ago blazed in his
classic book, Presidential Power." Immediately recognized for its
contributions to scholarship, it also popularized a new phrase,
"the strategic presidency," which has since become an essential
part of the lexicon in presidential studies.
As this book makes clear, to accomplish his policy objectives, a
new president must always first get control of the government. Thus
the White House must organize itself; establish a cabinet; recruit
presidential appointees; confront the entrenched career
bureaucracy; and formulate a legislative agenda. The supreme
challenge of this transitional period, Pfiffner argues, is that all
of this must be done in a very compressed time frame and under the
extreme pressure of press scrutiny and unrealistically high public
expectations.
Even so, he also shows that systematic preparation during this
period can maximize a president's opportunity at the beginning of a
term. Contrary to much conventional advice, Pfiffner contends that
a newly elected president's best opportunity for achieving policy
goals is at the beginning of the term. Even if a "honeymoon"
atmosphere does not prevail, Congress is likely to be more
receptive to presidential initiatives in the early months of a
term, and public opinion is likely to decline after several months
in office. That's why it's so important for presidents to "hit the
ground running."
Like the first edition, the new one provides a concise guide for
scholars and presidential aides and will be widely adopted for
courses on the modern presidency. With its fine blend of insider
perspective, illuminating anecdotes, and user-friendly political
analysis, it will also appeal to general readers.
General
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