Why Presidents Fail

Richard M. Pious is Adolf S. and Effie E. Ochs Professor of American Studies in the political science department at Barnard College and the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.

• Chapter 1 Introduction: Presidential FiascoesChapter 2 Chapter 1. Reputation: Eisenhower and the U-2 FlightsChapter 3 Chapter 2. Power Stakes: Kennedy and the Bay of PigsChapter 4 Chapter 3. Compellence: Johnson and the Vietnam EscalationChapter 5 Chapter 4. Command: Ford and the MayaguezChapter 6 Chapter 5. Rhetoric: Carter and the Energy CrisisChapter 7 Chapter 6. Prerogative: Reagan and the Iran-Contra AffairChapter 8 Chapter 7. Gamesmanship: Bush and the BudgetChapter 9 Chapter 8. Program Innovation: Clinton and Health CareChapter 10 Chapter 9. Parallel Governance: Bush and Iraqi WMDChapter 11 Chapter 10. Presidents Unbound: Crises of Authority and LegitimacyChapter 12 Chapter 11. Risk and Resilience: Toward a White House Learning Curve

As Richard Pious traces the anatomy of presidential failures, he argues that, under conditions of high pressure and great uncertainty, presidents too often engage in “situational constitutionalism” and fail to distinguish between their personal stakes and the nation’s best interests. His carefully reconstructed and detailed case studies do not present merely the conventional wisdom about some obvious presidential blunders, but include incisive analyses of the underlying dynamics of presidential failures that contain important lessons for future presidents and citizens alike.