The Presidents and the Constitution : a living history
(Book)

Gormley (Duquesne Univ.) has assembled a top-notch set of presidential scholars, including Richard J. Ellis, Louis Fisher, Ralph Ketcham, Robert J. Spitzer, and Paul Finkelman. The book has an ambitious goal: to cover all 43 presidents and to speak directly about how each helped shape the Constitution and politics of his day. Nearly all major aspects of presidential power and history are covered, from the initial debate over presidential succession (John Tyler) to terminating treaties (Jimmy Carter). The John Adams chapter, by Louis Fisher, deserves a close read for its unique focus on Adams's cautious use of war powers. In particular, Fisher highlights some of the less well-known aspects of the Quasi-War with France and concludes that Adams "quickly learned that an aggressive approach to exercising executive power could backfire." Chapters on the country's most recent presidents prove equally illuminating. In particular, Michael J. Gerhardt's chapter on Barack Obama includes insight on Obama's actions related to same-sex marriage and the Supreme Court's ultimate rebuff of the president's use of recess appointments. The collection of presidential essays leaves readers understanding the extent of the evolution that occurs with each new president. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers; lower- and upper-division undergraduates. --Mitchel A. Sollenberger, University of Michigan-Dearborn

A fluidly fashioned collection of essays about how the roster of American presidents shaped the executive duties as defined in the Constitution. Editor Gormley (Dean, Duquesne Univ. School of Law; The Death of American Virtue: Clinton vs. Starr, 2010, etc.) assembles an evenhanded consideration of each president's operating style and effectiveness, from George Washington to Barack Obama. Each executive has had to assume the constitutional duties of the office: serving as the commander in chief of the Army and Navy, appointing ambassadors and judges, granting reprieves and pardons, delivering the State of the Union address to Congress, and vetoing legislation. Yet the Constitution is maddeningly vague on specifics and even, as Gormley notes in his crisp introduction, seems to assume "that the president and Congress will have to duke it out, battling over the parameters of their respective powers," as most evident in the current political climate under President Obama. Precedent has established the strictures of the office, starting with Washington's keen sense of caution in respecting the separation of powers (he only used the veto twice) and in exercising executive restraint; he stepped down after two terms in order to avoid the appearance of a long-reigning monarch. Yet these precedents were exploded during the four terms of Franklin Roosevelt, who expanded emergency executive powers during extraordinary "times of war and hysteria." James Monroe's historic Monroe Doctrine (1823) first set the principles that guided foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere, while the death in office of William Henry Harrison forced the determination of succession from then on. Each scholarly essayistall of whom provide extensive notes at the conclusion of each chapterpinpoints a defining presidential moment, from the Emancipation Proclamation of Abraham Lincoln to Watergate and the presidential pardon of Richard Nixon to the navigation of war powers under both of the Bush administrations. A useful, educational tome featuring top-drawer contributorsthough female scholars are woefully underrepresented. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Gormley (president, Duquesne Univ., PA; The Death of American Virtue) has assembled a first-rate group of scholars of the American presidency to make sense of what he refers to as "an unfinished presidency." This chronicle of U.S. leaders from George Washington to Barack Obama reminds readers that we often have an imperfect vision when it comes to comprehending the principles, powers, possibilities, and perils involved in serving as commander in chief. Each president has helped to shape and in turn has been shaped by this distinct, somewhat ill-defined office; in particular, each has helped define constitutional policy, for better or worse; examples given include Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase, Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Great Depression and World War II, and Richard Nixon and Watergate. In the end, the contributors argue that the relationship between the presidency and the Constitution is uneven, demonstrating the glory and gore of political constitutional development. VERDICT This book deserves close scrutiny by any student of the U.S. presidency and political development.—Stephen Kent Shaw, Northwest Nazarene Coll., Nampa, ID