I don't tend to read books about current events; I like to read about events well after the fact, when the historians and commentators have had a chance to put things into perspective. However, it is the rare occasion when my son, the presidential trivia buff, tells us that we have to read a book. So I read it -- and I am going to have to read it again because Dickerson has packed so much into a relatively short amount of space -- 16 hours/650pp -- that it is going to take me at least two passes to soak it all in.
Author John Dickerson is a television news commentator who has
lived in and covered the Washington beat his entire life (not that I
have every seen him on TV or follow his reporting-- or most other news
reporters, for that matter). He has done his homework. This isn't just
an opinion piece without citations; this is a well thought out essay
full of examples and quotations from presidents and historians. It is a
balanced analysis; presidents have their good moments and their bad
moments. They get some things right and some things wrong -- even the
unpopular presidents. But the American presidency is suffering --and has
been for a while -- and Dickerson delves into the topic with much
insight for the American voters and international spectators.
If you have any interest in the American Presidency, this title should be on your shelf.
Four and half stars.