Updated in a new 6th edition, Understanding the Presidency provides readers with a blend of classic and contemporary readings on the presidency to ground and expand their knowledge of the highest office in American government. Some topics include,The Public Presidency: Press, Media, and Public Approval, Policy Leadership, and Constitutional Origins of the Presidency. Updated edition contains 8 new readings.   

Table of Contents:
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, 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: The Presidency in the Political Order, Stephen Skowronek   Section 3: Selecting Presidents: Campaigns, Elections, and Mandates    Reading 11: Nomination Politics, Party Unity, and Presidential Elections, James E. Campbell Reading 12: A High Speed Chase: Presidential Aspirants and the Nomination Process, Lara M. Brown Reading 13:  The Obama Juggernaut: Presidential Fundraising in 2008, Peter Francia, Gregory Fortelny, and Clyde Wilcox Reading 14: The Magnitude of the 2008 Democratic Victory: By the Numbers, James Ceaser and Daniel DiSalvo Reading 15: The Myth of Presidential Mandate, Robert A. Dahl Reading 16: Changing Tides: Public Opinion, Campaigns, and Governance, 2004-2009, Roger H. Davidson          Section 4: The Public Presidency: Press, Media, and Public Approval Reading 17: The “Permanent Campaign”, Hugh Heclo Reading 18: The Press and the Presidency, Mark J. Rozell Reading 19: The Presidency and Image Management: Discipline in Pursuit of Illusion, Jeremy D. Mayer Reading 20: The Presidential Pulpit: Bully or Baloney?, George C. Edwards, III   Section 5: The Institutional Presidency       Reading 21: The White House Staff, The President’s Committee on Administrative Management (Brownlow Committee) Reading 22: Can the President Manage the Government?, James P. Pfiffner Reading 23: The Changing Presidential Office, Hugh Heclo Reading 24: Presidential Appointments and the Office of Presidential Personnel, Bradley H. Patterson and James P. Pfiffner Reading 25: The Administrative Presidency, Unilateral Power, and the Unitary Executive Theory, Richard W. Waterman   Section 6: The Separation of Powers  Reading 26: Presidential Relations with Congress, Roger H. Davidson Reading 27: The Disappearing Political Center, Sarah A. Binder           Reading 28: Presidents and the Judicial Appointment Process, John Anthony Maltese Reading 29: Executive Privilege and the U.S. Attorneys Firings, Mark Rozell and Mitchel Sollenberger   Section 7: Policy Leadership         Reading 30: The Presidential “Hundred Days”, Richard E. Neustadt Reading 31: Obama Becomes President: Policy Development and Leadership, John P. Burke Reading 32: Unilateral Powers: A Brief Overview, William G. Howell Reading 33: Prerogative Power and the War on Terrorism, Richard Pious Reading 34: Decision Making in the Bush White House, James P. Pfiffner   Section 8: Commander-in-Chief and National Security      Reading 35: Presidential Power in National Security, Louis Fisher        Reading 36: Deference and Defiance: The Shifting Rhythms of Executive-Legislative Relations in Foreign Policy, James A. Lindsey Reading 37: Constraining Executive Power: George W. Bush and the Constitution, James P. Pfiffner Reading 38: The Commander in Chief and the Courts, Jules Lobel          Section 9: Evaluating Presidents: Greatness and Abuse of Power   Reading 39: Three Crises of Character in the Modern Presidency, James P. Pfiffner Reading 40: “If Men Were Angels . . . .”: Presidential Leadership and Accountability, Thomas E. Cronin and Michael A. Genovese Reading 41: The Worst President in History?, Sean Wilentz Reading 42: The Long View, Karl Rove Reading 43: A New Imperial Presidency?, Andrew Rudalevige