Ever since the Founding Fathers' faith in George Washington led
them to create the presidency, the issue of character has been
inextricably linked to the Oval Office. The American people have
always expected their presidents to serve not only as political
leaders but also role models of personal behavior, setting
standards for raising their children. But as the new millennium
nears, character and values have taken on a significance never
contemplated by Washington and the Founding Fathers. In the second
half of the twentieth century, with the enfeeblement of traditional
political institutions, and the explosion of electronic media, John
F. Kennedy used his character to cross a new frontier into the era
of the personal presidency. Democrat Kennedy blazed a trail in
image manipulation which Republican Ronald Reagan carried to new
heights. Then came Clinton. No president before him has been so
calculating and determined in exploiting his personal life and
values; yet no chief executive in modern times has been so reviled
and condemned because of his personal behavior."The Double-Edged
Sword: How Character Makes and Ruins Presidents, from Washington to
Clinton" rebuts the claim put forward by Clinton and his supporters
that a President's private life can be separated from his
performance in office. By examining the morality of some of our
most prominent and influential Executive Chiefs--from the birth of
the Republic and the launch of the New Deal to Watergate and the
Clinton presidency--Robert Shogan illustrates how the so-called
character issue, and the intertwined issue of values, are linked to
the political process and governance. Based on extensive research
as well as interviews with politicians and journalists, the book
looks at how the strengths and weaknesses of character help shape
presidential performance for good and for ill. It shows how
presidents and their rivals on the political stage use the public's
perceptions of presidential character to manipulate political
audiences--namely, the press and the electorate. Ultimately, the
book demonstrates that presidential character is a double-edged
sword--a weapon that can discredit a president and destroy his
credibility, but also a weapon that he can use to define himself
and mobilize support--in sum, the ultimate weapon in modern
American politics.
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