Updated with new readings on the war in Iraq, the war on terror, the frontloaded nomination process, and President Bush’s place in history, the new edition of this popular reader gives students the analytical tools needed to make sense of the modern presidency and its relationship with other key players in our political system.   The selections in this reader were chosen with two aims in mind: (1) to provide a historical perspective, so often neglected in similar texts, that explains how the events of the past two centuries led us to where we are today, and (2) to present the most important current issues that are shaping the Bush administration and the presidency more broadly. This collection of readings offers students a combination of “classic” scholarly analyses, the best of current scholarship, and engaging insights into the nature of the contemporary presidency. 

Table of Contents:
Understanding the Presidency, 5th edition    James P. Pfiffner and Roger H. Davidson, eds.   Preface   Section 1   Constitutional Origins of the Presidency          Reading 1    James Madison to Thomas Jefferson                      James Madison        Reading 2    Federalist No. 69                      Alexander Hamilton        Reading 3    Federalist No. 70                  Alexander Hamilton                  Reading 4    To the Citizens of the state of New York    <--- NEW                  George Clinton       Reading 5       Reevaluating the Electoral College                  James P. Pfiffner   Section 2   Historical Perspectives on the Presidency        Reading 6    The Strict Constructionist Presidency                      William Howard Taft        Reading 7    The Stewardship Presidency                      Theodore Roosevelt        Reading 8    The Public Presidency                      Woodrow Wilson            Reading 9    The Prerogative Presidency                      Abraham Lincoln       Reading 10    Toward a Modern Presidency                      Fred I. Greenstein      Reading 11    The Presidency in the Political Order                      Stephen Skowronek   Section 3   Selecting Presidents: Campaigns, Elections, and Mandates              Reading 12    Nomination Politics, Party Unity, and Presidential Elections                      James E. Campbell     Reading 13  A High Speed Chase: Presidential Aspirants and the Nomination Process <--- NEW                     Lara M. Brown      Reading 14    Campaigning for Cash Amid Chaos?                     Louis Dezseran and Clyde Wilcox      Reading 15    The Presidential Election of 2000                      Gerald M. Pomper      Reading 16    The Presidential “Hundred Days”                      Richard E. Neustadt      Reading 17    The Myth of Presidential Mandate                     Robert A. Dahl       Reading 18  Presidential Campaigning and Presidential Governance: The Case of 2004  <-- updated                     Roger H. Davidson          Section 4  The Public Presidency: Press, Media, and Public Approval     Reading 19     The “Permanent Campaign”                         Hugh Heclo       Reading 20 The Press and the Presidency                      Mark J. Rozell      Reading 21    The Presidency and Image Management                     Jeremy D. Mayer      Reading 22    The Presidential Pulpit: Bully or Baloney?                     George C. Edwards, III      Reading 23    Presidential Persuasion and Press Coverage of the War in Iraq                     Caroline Heldman   Section 5   The Institutional Presidency                       Reading 24    The White House Staff                      The President’s Committee on Administrative Management (Brownlow Committee)      Reading 25    Can the President Manage the Government?                              James P. Pfiffner      Reading 26    The Changing Presidential Office                     Hugh Heclo      Reading 27    Presidential Appointments and the Office of Presidential Personnel                 Bradley H. Patterson and James P. Pfiffner   Section 6    The Separation of Powers                           Reading 28    Presidential Relations with Congress  <-- updated                     Roger H. Davidson      Reading 29    The Disappearing Political Center                      Sarah A. Binder           Reading 30      The Use of Executive Power by George W. Bush <--- NEW                    James P. Pfiffner      Reading 31    Presidents and the Judicial Appointment Process                    John Anthony Maltese   Section 7   Policy Leadership        Reading 32    The Hundred Days                  Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.      Reading 33    The Power to Persuade                  Richard E. Neustadt      Reading 34    Unilateral Powers: A Brief Overview                 William G. Howell     Reading 35   Prerogative Power and the War on Terrorism <--- NEW                 Richard Pious     Section 8   Commander-in-Chief and National Security        Reading 36    Invitation to Struggle: The President, Congress, and National Security                     Louis Fisher           Reading 37     Deference and Defiance: The Shifting Rhythms of Executive-Legislative Relations in Foreign Policy                  James A. Lindsey      Reading 38   Iran-Contra: What Was Wrong                Report of the President’s Special Review Board       Reading 39     The Foreign Affairs Power and the Framers’ Intentions <--- NEW                    Iran-Contra Congressional Committee Minority Report       Reading 40 The Commander in Chief and the Courts  <--- NEW                    Jules Lobel         Reading 41   Condoleezza Rice as NSC Advisor                   John P. Burke     Section 9   Evaluating Presidents: Greatness and Abuse of Power          Reading 42    Three Crises of Character in the Modern Presidency                  James P. Pfiffner      Reading 43    “If Men Were Angels . . . .”: Presidential Leadership and Accountability                 Thomas E. Cronin and Michael A. Genovese        Reading 44    The Worst President in History? <--- NEW                    Sean Wilentz      Reading 45      The Long View  <--- NEW                 Karl Rove      Reading 46       A New Imperial Presidency?                 Andrew Rudalevige