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The American Presidency
An entertaining, insightful history of the men who've held the office, from the division between Jefferson and Hamilton through Bill Clinton's campaign for national health care.
95 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1998
About the author
Gore Vidal
291 books1,742 followersWorks of American writer Eugene Luther Gore Vidal, noted for his cynical humor and his numerous accounts of society in decline, include the play
The Best Man
(1960) and the novel
Myra Breckinridge
(1968) .
People know his essays, screenplays, and Broadway.
They also knew his patrician manner, transatlantic accent, and witty aphorisms. Vidal came from a distinguished political lineage; his grandfather was the senator Thomas Gore, and he later became a relation (through marriage) to Jacqueline Kennedy.
Vidal, a longtime political critic, ran twice for political office. He was a lifelong isolationist Democrat. The Nation, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The New York Review of Books, and Esquire published his essays.
Essays and media appearances long criticized foreign policy. In addition, he from the 1980s onwards characterized the United States as a decaying empire. Additionally, he was known for his well publicized spats with such figures as Norman Mailer, William F. Buckley, Jr., and Truman Capote.
They fell into distinct social and historical camps. Alongside his social, his best known historical include Julian, Burr, and Lincoln. His third novel, The City and the Pillar (1948), outraged conservative critics as the first major feature of unambiguous homosexuality.
At the time of his death he was the last of a generation of American writers who had served during World War II, including J.D. Salinger, Kurt Vonnegut, Norman Mailer and Joseph Heller. Perhaps best remembered for his caustic wit, he referred to himself as a "gentleman bitch" and has been described as the 20th century's answer to Oscar Wilde
Also used the pseudonym Edgar Box.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Gore Vidal é um dos nomes centrais na história da literatura americana pós-Segunda Guerra Mundial.
Nascido em 1925, em Nova Iorque, estudou na Academia de Phillips Exeter (Estado de New Hampshire). O seu primeiro romance, Williwaw (1946), era uma história da guerra claramente influenciada pelo estilo de Hemingway. Embora grande parte da sua obra tenha a ver com o século XX americano, Vidal debruçou-se várias vezes sobre épocas recuadas, como, por exemplo, em A Search for the King (1950), Juliano (1964) e Creation (1981).
Entre os seus temas de eleição está o mundo do cinema e, mais concretamente, os bastidores de Hollywood, que ele desmonta de forma satírica e implacável em títulos como Myra Breckinridge (1968), Myron (1975) e Duluth (1983).
Senhor de um estilo exuberante, multifacetado e sempre surpreendente, publicou, em 1995, a autobiografia Palimpsest: A Memoir. As obras 'O Instituto Smithsonian' e 'A Idade do Ouro' encontram-se traduzidas em português.
Neto do senador Thomas Gore, enteado do padrasto de Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, primo distante de Al Gore, Gore Vidal sempre se revelou um espelho crítico das grandezas e misérias dos EUA.
Faleceu a 31 de julho de 2012, aos 86 anos, na sua casa em Hollywood, vítima de pneumonia.
People know his essays, screenplays, and Broadway.
They also knew his patrician manner, transatlantic accent, and witty aphorisms. Vidal came from a distinguished political lineage; his grandfather was the senator Thomas Gore, and he later became a relation (through marriage) to Jacqueline Kennedy.
Vidal, a longtime political critic, ran twice for political office. He was a lifelong isolationist Democrat. The Nation, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The New York Review of Books, and Esquire published his essays.
Essays and media appearances long criticized foreign policy. In addition, he from the 1980s onwards characterized the United States as a decaying empire. Additionally, he was known for his well publicized spats with such figures as Norman Mailer, William F. Buckley, Jr., and Truman Capote.
They fell into distinct social and historical camps. Alongside his social, his best known historical include Julian, Burr, and Lincoln. His third novel, The City and the Pillar (1948), outraged conservative critics as the first major feature of unambiguous homosexuality.
At the time of his death he was the last of a generation of American writers who had served during World War II, including J.D. Salinger, Kurt Vonnegut, Norman Mailer and Joseph Heller. Perhaps best remembered for his caustic wit, he referred to himself as a "gentleman bitch" and has been described as the 20th century's answer to Oscar Wilde
Also used the pseudonym Edgar Box.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Gore Vidal é um dos nomes centrais na história da literatura americana pós-Segunda Guerra Mundial.
Nascido em 1925, em Nova Iorque, estudou na Academia de Phillips Exeter (Estado de New Hampshire). O seu primeiro romance, Williwaw (1946), era uma história da guerra claramente influenciada pelo estilo de Hemingway. Embora grande parte da sua obra tenha a ver com o século XX americano, Vidal debruçou-se várias vezes sobre épocas recuadas, como, por exemplo, em A Search for the King (1950), Juliano (1964) e Creation (1981).
Entre os seus temas de eleição está o mundo do cinema e, mais concretamente, os bastidores de Hollywood, que ele desmonta de forma satírica e implacável em títulos como Myra Breckinridge (1968), Myron (1975) e Duluth (1983).
Senhor de um estilo exuberante, multifacetado e sempre surpreendente, publicou, em 1995, a autobiografia Palimpsest: A Memoir. As obras 'O Instituto Smithsonian' e 'A Idade do Ouro' encontram-se traduzidas em português.
Neto do senador Thomas Gore, enteado do padrasto de Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, primo distante de Al Gore, Gore Vidal sempre se revelou um espelho crítico das grandezas e misérias dos EUA.
Faleceu a 31 de julho de 2012, aos 86 anos, na sua casa em Hollywood, vítima de pneumonia.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 30, 2012
This is the revised and expanded text of a program Vidal did for BBC4 and which was later rebroadcast for television in the States. Its structure is provided by the history of the U.S.A., with brief sketches of some of the presidencies which most influenced, in his opinion, the development of the American polity up to the last days of the Clinton White House.
Opinionated, often very funny, this survey history can be read quickly and profitably by anyone, but will be enjoyed most by those already familiar with the main outlines of the American story as well as with Roman history, towards which Vidal makes frequent reference.
Opinionated, often very funny, this survey history can be read quickly and profitably by anyone, but will be enjoyed most by those already familiar with the main outlines of the American story as well as with Roman history, towards which Vidal makes frequent reference.
July 16, 2017
There can be something refreshing about listening to an old codger gripe about history and pull no punches, if the individual is as informed and lucid as Gore Vidal. Short, and very much to the point, especially when laying out the case against American empire and the military-industrial complex.
February 22, 2021
eash, quick read on various presidency from the american empire. teddy roosevelt was the first refer to the USA as "America" in his speeches, alluding to our perception as an empire. All presidents since picked up refering to USA as America, instead of United States.
April 15, 2014
This isn’t about all of our presidents but this is a book of witty observations about quite a few of them. We learn Madison set up our government so if our president wanted a war, he’d have to beg congress. Fast forward to today when even congressional approval means nothing because the security council of the UN ranks higher than congress and you’d have to go through it first. BUT since the US is effectively a lawless rogue state, BOTH the congress and the UN are bypassed (as well as the ICC and the will of the people who never want war) through unbridled hegemonic executive power - Madison would be appalled at the undoing of his masterpiece. We learn that it was actually the Louisiana Purchase that set the precedent for presidents to act unilaterally (brilliant point). Jackson broke 93 sacred Indian Treaties while in office and today he is revered as the one man who made the US as a continental power. It’s cool that Gore uses the word “martyred” when Lincoln is murdered – the martyrdom part sure cemented Lincoln’s legacy as our numero uno. Good stuff on the fraud of the election of 1876. My favorite part of the book was Senator Vanderburg’s telling comment to Truman “You’re going to have to scare the hell out of the American people to make them spend all that money in peacetime.” And that Ladies and Gentlemen, is the history of America since then, scaring the American People to make profit from wars against defenseless nations who must first be labeled by the media as “less than” us. Five Stars because it’s Gore writing non-fiction on really important stuff we all need to know. And it’s a really short book, so you’ll be done in no time. ☺
July 9, 2014
This delightful essay (only 80 small pages--I read it all in a couple of hours) skewers our historic idols, the American Presidents, including Washington, Lincoln, both Roosevelts, and JFK (whom Vidal calls charming but a very bad and war-mongering President). Surprisingly, the President who comes off looking the best is LBJ (though tragically brought down by Kennedy's advisors and Vietnam). The Clintons, still in office when the book was published, also come off as well-intentioned but probably helpless in the face of the true rulers of this country: corporations, banks, the military-industrial complex. Every citizen of the U.S. should read this book and then do some real thinking about how this country is run. Quit looking to either political party to rescue us--both are pretty much owned by big money. I now want to read other books in this series, called The Real Story series.
July 13, 2012
I see American politics and governance as Vidal sees them, so I loved this brief survey of how we went from a small-government, small country dominated by land owners to a world-scope empire dominated by banks and business corporations.
December 30, 2016
A gem of a little book which goes a long way to explaining how the republic became an empire, largely through constitutional wriggle-room left to the office of the presidency. And how the vast majority of the actual US annual budget funds "defense".
March 2, 2017
This is an extremely brief and opinionated survey, and serviceable still, though it ends with the Clinton administration. The relevance remains to the present issues. You could start a long series of conversations with this provocative primer. The b&w illustrations are poor, however.
August 11, 2020
Quite the subversive polemic on the American system. Taken with a grain of salt, I look past the occasional ramble by Vidal. His assessment is critical and direct, and the conclusion that the US has become a corporate, military empire is certainly more right than wrong.
As for the assessments of presidents that weave his war torn tapestry, they are roasts of the darkest aspects of our figure-head leadership. From Lincoln being compared to Caesar and FDR to Augustus, Vidal parallels regional empires with the truly global American one, being ruled with campaign contributions and citizen oppression, while our Presidents play with foreign invasion and intervention creating trillions in profits for the elite and ignoring the welfare of the domestic state.
Absolutely worth a read, if only to have an obsidian Mount Rushmore of sorts to serve as a foil to reflect on. When thus examined, this inherited American sculpture of ours that so many blindly call patriotism, seems much closer to a work of corporate nationalism with martial, theocratic and fascist strategies fully in play.
His assessment stops at Bush the Elder, but knowing the wars and divisive politics that have happened in the 30 years since, Vidal would have had plenty more material to cap off his ode to the impending collapse of the global American military empire.
Still, he offers hope with the far-out suggestion that a constitutional congress might rectify things somewhat.
As for the assessments of presidents that weave his war torn tapestry, they are roasts of the darkest aspects of our figure-head leadership. From Lincoln being compared to Caesar and FDR to Augustus, Vidal parallels regional empires with the truly global American one, being ruled with campaign contributions and citizen oppression, while our Presidents play with foreign invasion and intervention creating trillions in profits for the elite and ignoring the welfare of the domestic state.
Absolutely worth a read, if only to have an obsidian Mount Rushmore of sorts to serve as a foil to reflect on. When thus examined, this inherited American sculpture of ours that so many blindly call patriotism, seems much closer to a work of corporate nationalism with martial, theocratic and fascist strategies fully in play.
His assessment stops at Bush the Elder, but knowing the wars and divisive politics that have happened in the 30 years since, Vidal would have had plenty more material to cap off his ode to the impending collapse of the global American military empire.
Still, he offers hope with the far-out suggestion that a constitutional congress might rectify things somewhat.
June 27, 2020
Cranky. THis book is cranky. THis is a smart recitation of "Hey kids get off my dogmatic interpretation of America" I like Vidal, but this one was just a lot of cranky bullshit. I might even agree with him on his vision of presidency, but yikes, can I turn the volume down on this guy
January 7, 2019
Pending.
October 17, 2017
Hearteningly cynical.
July 17, 2021
It's quite an eye-opener!
September 7, 2023
Blah, Blah, Blah!!
December 12, 2012
The book cover you see is not the correct book I was actually reading, but just and idea of what i was reading... The real book I was reading was the Presidency, buy Chelsea House. This book compacts all my favorite things, information the Presidency its self and what occurs in the White House and the role of the president. It also features informative text on the role of the president, what he does as a whole and his part in our fine branching of government. It also features presidents from previous time along with the ideas and conventions they have had. If I was to read one of Chelsea's books again, I would be 50/50 it was a good book overall, but I believe I need to read what other authors think and know about our government to fully understand it.
February 17, 2012
A quick read of American history as only VG can do it. Based on his British TV scripts (and then expanded) we get a nice underview of US imperialism in the name of xxx. His short and very concise explanation of why the Clinton healthcare planned failed is not something I've thought of before.I admit I'm guilty of falling for the exterior rightwing argument of "socialilsm" even if I don't believe that's what the squawk was about. Obama, of course, just let the fox into the hen house, and takes the heat He's expendable. The right continues to rant "socialism" while their keepers scarf up the money. GV answers the question "who runs the US government." Hint, it's not the government.
January 24, 2008
good overall intro to how the presidents have shaped the country. Hooray for manifest destiny.
October 15, 2010
Nice rant, but not a lot of substance... kind of a Cliff's Notes to our real history...
October 20, 2013
Interestig read... provocative, food for thought
December 5, 2015
Short, punchy book on American history. Pithy and informative.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews