DescriptionHarry Beltway, a young idealist, joins the arch-conservative campaign staff of Tim Duncannon, a television commentator who's running for president to keep the wetbacks, Zulus, and abortionists out of America's workplaces and bedrooms. As Duncannon panders to fundamentalists, however, things start to break down for crisis manager Harry - the Brothers Duncannon harass and beat up opponents, the candidate himself has a questionable semi-weekly liaison with an attractive blonde, and charges of channeling the spirit of Richard Nixon tar the campaign with a "devil-worshipping" tag. Meanwhile, Harry's own problems with his new romance certainly prove that "politics makes strange bedfellows" - and a hilarious satiric parody of Primary Colors .
DescriptionExpertly researched and drawing from rare conversations with the former First Lady and from key interviews with members of her inner circle of friends, family, and advisors, this important biography sheds new light on Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson's childhood, her amazing acumen as a businesswoman, and on the central role she played in her husband's life and political career. Long obscured by LBJ's shadow, Lady Bird emerges as more than a passionate conservationist, but as a figure of surprising influence on her husband, his administration, and the country.
DescriptionHonor's Voice provides a revealing look at how Abraham Lincoln became the 16th president of the United States and one of the greatest men of his time. Douglas Wilson traces the development of this great leader from an insecure country boy full of ambition to schoolboy, storekeeper, riverboat man, and, finally, politician. The author returns to original sources, including friends and acquaintances in the Illinois of the 1830s and '40s and exposes truths about Lincoln never before revealed. What emerges is a portrait of an emotionally vulnerable thinker, a lover of Burns and Shakespeare, and a depressed and fatalistic person who yearned for both feminine intimacy and success.
DescriptionFormer presidential hopeful, Senator Bob Dole on this edition of Fresh Air . Bob Dole is the best selling author of Great Political Wit . His new book, called Great Presidential Wit (I Wish I was in the Book), is a collection of funny anecdotes and quotations by or about American presidents. Dole was the longest-serving Republican leader in Senate history. He is currently serving as the chairman of the World War II Memorial campaign and as chairman of the International Commission on Missing Persons in the former Yugoslavia. Dole was also a commentator for Comedy Central's Indecision 2000 . (Broadcast Date: January 25, 2001)…
DescriptionGerald Gardner has helped teach many recent U.S. presidents how to be funny, and now he describes how Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan have used and abused their comic talents to achieve their political goals. This compendium of wit gives insights into the power of presidential humor. Gardner's impressive abilities as an impersonator enliven this presentation, which is given before a live audience.
DescriptionA landmark 1996 settlement with the Nixon Estate and the National Archives brought to light thousands of hours of secret White House tapes from the infamous Nixon Administration. Hear a gripping selection in this spellbinding portrait of raw power and Shakespearean depiction of a king and his court. This dramatic reconstruction features the personalities of Nixon, Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Colson, Haig, Kissinger, and Dean. Finally, the full story of Nixon's downfall can be told.
DescriptionWith the Bush administration now in its final years, all eyes are turning to the 2008 political season, especially those of Democratic voters, who are casting about for a galvanizing leader to help them win back the White House. And in that role, argues…
DescriptionCovering the pivotal years 1861-1864, General Ulysses S. Grant leads us in his own words from Fort Sumter to his appointment as commander of all the armies of the North. Grant remembers his experiences with the key players of the day, takes us onto the battlefields, and recounts the twists and turns of fate. Grant was a failed peacetime soldier, failed farmer, failed woodcutter, failed bill collector, and 38-year-old clerk in a harness store in the spring of 1861. By 1864, he was directing all the Union forces.
DescriptionUlysses S. Grant, 18th President of the United States and commander of the Union forces in the Civil War, tells the story of his life in his own words. In this opening volume, Grant covers his early years, including his time at the U.S. military academy at West Point and his service during the Mexican War under Zachary Taylor. Grant wrote his memoirs in order to rescue his family from debt and they were published as he lay dying of throat cancer. Today, they are an American classic.
DescriptionAcclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin illuminates Lincoln's political genius in this highly original work, as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from obscurity to prevail over three gifted rivals of national reputation to become presiden…
