Imperfect Presidents: Tales of Presidential Misadventure and Triumph

Jim Cullen

Mar 2007 · Sold by St. Martin's Press

About this ebook

When people make bad decisions, odd remarks, and just plain silly mistakes, the results are sure to haunt them. But when these things happen to the president of the United States, they can change the course of history. In this clever portrait of the American presidency, Jim Cullen takes ten presidents down from their pedestals by examining key missteps in their careers--and how they transcended them. Examples include Abraham Lincoln smearing a preacher and rediscovering his religious vision in emancipating slaves; Lyndon Johnson's electoral fraud in his 1948 Senate race and his role in the signing of the Voting Rights Act; and Ronald Reagan's subversion of the Constitution in the Iran-Contra affair and affirmation of world peace in helping bring about the end of the Cold War. Targeting Republicans and Democrats alike, Cullen's insights are surprisingly timely and hugely entertaining.

About the author

Jim Cullen is the author of "Born in the USA" (Literary Guild Alternate), "The American Dream," and other books. He has taught at Harvard, Brown, and Sarah Lawrence College, and currently teaches at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York, where he also serves on the Board of Trustees. He lives in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.