The Imperial Presidency

This book gives you a quick overview of the Presidency. It's really good. I didn't notice a spin either toward the liberal views or conservative views. I had to get it for a class I was taking in college, and I really enjoyed reading it. If you want an overview of the Presidency and the powers the President holds, you should buy this.

Although this book was dated when I read it and is probably now considered a history book, I found it very enlighening and informative. I think perhaps the author tends to protect Kennedy and Roosevelt(II) but it is still a very good book. It reads very easily and has that Schlesneger signature. I would highly recommend the book to anyone interested in presidential history.

We read this in college and it was one of the best books we ever saw on American politics and I read it again last week. Ir shows that it is not a good idea always to have presidents who get too powerful.

The year before George W. Bush took office as president I attended a professional conference where a graduate student offered a paper that posed the question whether Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.'s "Imperial Presidency" was still valid. Quite a debate ensued. Today, in the wake of the Bush Doctrine of preemptive war, and its application in Iraq, I am compelled to offer that this revised volume, with new introduction, answers the previous question with a resounding yea. This has been a very important volume in the study of the presidency, especially regarding the constitution, foreign policy, and war. In the shadow of the Iraqi affair, I would go one step further and say it is a vital work in these troubled times. No, the era of the Imperial Presidency never really went away; and yes, it is a vital concern for the future of the republic and global stability. Schlesinger has recognized this and once again warns us of pending dangers.

I used this book primarily for a study on the Presidency of Richard Nixon. Schlesinger presents infromation concisely and in highly enjoyable language. The books main focus is the use (and abuse) of powers given to and taken by various Presidents of the United States.