Presidents versus Senators

A retired journalist and communications specialist with nearly 50 years writing experience, F. Martin Harmon is the author of six non-fiction books. He previously worked at two daily newspapers, three Southern universities, and most recently the historic polio rehab center founded by Franklin Roosevelt in Warm Springs, Georgia.

• Table of ContentsPreface: Great Political Rivalries and ConflictsIntroduction: Landmark Political ConfrontationsPrologue: All-Time Greats and Taking on the White HouseSection One. Battle Over the Bank: Andrew Jackson vs. Henry Clay1. Setting the Stage with Campaign Strategy2. Chronological Review of a Political Gamble3. The Ensuing Expansion of Presidential PowerSection Two. The Bleeding Kansas Fight: James Buchanan vs. Stephen Douglas4. Breakdown of the Jacksonian Democrats5. Lack of Leadership Amidst Drift to Disunion6. Lincoln, Civil War and Republican RuleSection Three. The Reconstruction Conflict: Andrew Johnson vs. Charles Sumner7. Political Opposites on a Collision Course8. The Rage Over Southern Reconstruction9. “Glorious Failure” or What Might Have BeenSection Four. Crusade for the League: Woodrow Wilson vs. Henry Cabot Lodge10. Political Enemies on a Collision Course11. The Ammunition of Lasting Animosity12. One-and-Done and Back to NormalSection Five. Surviving the Red Menace: Harry Truman vs. Joseph McCarthy13. The Cold War Launch of a Red Hot Demagogue14. Turning the Other Cheek in a ­No-Win War15. From Fearmongering to Covert ActionSection Six. Civil Rights or Segregation: Lyndon Johnson vs. Richard Russell16. Anatomy of an Impending Political Breakup17. The End of Debate; the Start of Equality18. Personal Legacy Waylaid by Foreign EscalationSection Seven. The Canal Giveaway: Jimmy Carter vs. Paul Laxalt19. From “Perpetuity” to “Inviting Disaster”20. Reversing Course into a Proxy War21. The Diminishing Returns of Global LeadershipEpilogue: If Keeping Score, Closer Than AnticipatedChapter NotesBibliographyIndex