Political Science : Leadership

The answers to your questions about America's political leaders are just a few of the fascinating facts contained in this handy guide to biographical information on approximately 9,000 of the most important U.S. elected and appointed leaders. Newly updated, this volume now includes key facts on political leaders spanning 215 years of United States history. Organized for quick, easy reference, the book contains six chapters—one for each group covered—in which readers will find:. * Basic Facts: all significant biographical data, such as: birth and death dates, periods of public service, and party affiliations. * Special Information: boxed features and analytical commentary on topics such as: Presidential Disability and Succession; Religious affiliations of the U.S. presidents; Women, African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans in Congress, the Cabinet, and the Supreme Court; and Attempts at Term Limits. As comprehensive as it is easy to use, this resource also includes an appendix of additional reference tables on Congress including sessions held, leadership, and committee chairmen. It is the perfect reference guide for researchers, students, or any person who needs names, dates, and other basic information on U.S. leaders in one convenient source. more...

Price: $77.05

The expansion of executive powers amid the war on terrorism has brought the presidency to the center of heated public debate. Now, in The American Presidency, presidential authority Charles O. Jones provides invaluable background to the current controversy, in a compact, reliable guide to the office of the chief executive. This marvelously concise survey is packed with information about the presidency, some of it quite surprising. We learn, for example, that the Founders adopted the word "president" over "governor" and other alternatives because it suggested a light hand, as in one who presides, rather than rules. Indeed, the Constitutional Convention first agreed to a weak chief executive elected by congress for one seven-year term, later calling for independent election and separation of powers. Jones sheds much light on how assertive leaders, such as Andrew Jackson, Theodore Roosevelt, and FDR enhanced the power of the presidency, and illuminating how such factors as philosophy (Reagan's anti-Communist conservatism), the legacy of previous presidencies (Jimmy Carter following Watergate), relations with Congress, and the impact of outside events have all influenced presidential authority. He also explores the rise of federal power and the dramatic expansion of federal agencies, showing how the president takes a direct hand in this vast bureaucracy, and he examines the political process of selecting presidents, from the days of deadlocked conventions to the rise of the primary after World War II. "In 200 years," he writes, "the presidency had changed from that of a person--Washington followed by Adams, then Jefferson--to a presidential enterprise with a cast of thousands." Jones explains how this remarkable expansion has occurred and where it may lead in the future. more...

Price: $8.95

What was the spiritual vision of the founding fathers-and how can we reclaim it today?. Looking at the lives of America's founders-including Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin-scholar and bestselling author Jacob Needleman explores their core of inner beliefs; their religious and spiritual sensibilities; and their individual conception of the purpose of life. The founders, Needleman argues, conceived of an "inner democracy": a continual pursuit of wisdom and self-improvement that would undergird the outer democracy in which we live today. Any understanding of America as a nation of spiritual values will in the years ahead require Needleman's work as a point of reference. more...

Price: $15.95

Focuses on Andrew Jackson's career including his time as a general in Tennessee and his rise up the Army ranks. With dramatic scenes of fierce battles and victories, Remini reveals here why Jackson's bold leadership as a general led to his election as President of the United States in 1828. more...

Price: $21.95

"Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Barton Gellman’s newsbreaking investigative journalism documents how Vice President Dick Cheney redefined the role of the American vice presidency, assuming unprecedented responsibilities and making it a post of historic power. more...

Price: $18.00