Jody C. Baumgartner is Assistant Professor of Political Science at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.

• Preface Introduction: The American Vice Presidency Reconsidered Afterthought? The Pre-Modern Vice Presidency Where They've Been and What They've Done: The Background and Experience of VIce Presidential Candidates Securing the Second Slot: The Vice Presidential Nomination The Road to Number One Observatory Circle: The Campaign What Do They Do? Vice Presidents in Office What Next? Life After Near-Greatness Endnotes Selected Bibliography

"In an era in which Dick Cheney's political prominence in the executive branch has led some political wags to refer to the policies and actions of the Cheney administration, it is perhaps not surprising to find a text that seeks to reassess the role of the vice presidency in American politics. Baumgartner begins with a characterization of the evolution of the office, focusing for the rest of the work only on the modern era (1956 to the present). He then offers chapters discussing the pre- office attributes and qualifications of vice presidential candidates, the reasons candidates are selected, and the role they play in presidential political campaigns. Next, he analyzes the formal constitutional, statutory, and appointive roles of the vice presidency and its informal ceremonial, diplomatic, political, and advisory roles. The final chapter discusses what happens to vice presidential candidates after they have left office or lost their campaigns." - Reference & Research Book News

Jody C. Baumgartner is Assistant Professor of Political Science at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.

• Preface Introduction: The American Vice Presidency Reconsidered Afterthought? The Pre-Modern Vice Presidency Where They've Been and What They've Done: The Background and Experience of VIce Presidential Candidates Securing the Second Slot: The Vice Presidential Nomination The Road to Number One Observatory Circle: The Campaign What Do They Do? Vice Presidents in Office What Next? Life After Near-Greatness Endnotes Selected Bibliography

"In an era in which Dick Cheney's political prominence in the executive branch has led some political wags to refer to the policies and actions of the Cheney administration, it is perhaps not surprising to find a text that seeks to reassess the role of the vice presidency in American politics. Baumgartner begins with a characterization of the evolution of the office, focusing for the rest of the work only on the modern era (1956 to the present). He then offers chapters discussing the pre- office attributes and qualifications of vice presidential candidates, the reasons candidates are selected, and the role they play in presidential political campaigns. Next, he analyzes the formal constitutional, statutory, and appointive roles of the vice presidency and its informal ceremonial, diplomatic, political, and advisory roles. The final chapter discusses what happens to vice presidential candidates after they have left office or lost their campaigns." - Reference & Research Book News

Jody C. Baumgartner is Assistant Professor of Political Science at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.

• Preface Introduction: The American Vice Presidency Reconsidered Afterthought? The Pre-Modern Vice Presidency Where They've Been and What They've Done: The Background and Experience of VIce Presidential Candidates Securing the Second Slot: The Vice Presidential Nomination The Road to Number One Observatory Circle: The Campaign What Do They Do? Vice Presidents in Office What Next? Life After Near-Greatness Endnotes Selected Bibliography

"In an era in which Dick Cheney's political prominence in the executive branch has led some political wags to refer to the policies and actions of the Cheney administration, it is perhaps not surprising to find a text that seeks to reassess the role of the vice presidency in American politics. Baumgartner begins with a characterization of the evolution of the office, focusing for the rest of the work only on the modern era (1956 to the present). He then offers chapters discussing the pre- office attributes and qualifications of vice presidential candidates, the reasons candidates are selected, and the role they play in presidential political campaigns. Next, he analyzes the formal constitutional, statutory, and appointive roles of the vice presidency and its informal ceremonial, diplomatic, political, and advisory roles. The final chapter discusses what happens to vice presidential candidates after they have left office or lost their campaigns." - Reference & Research Book News