9 Presidents Who Screwed up America : And Four Who Tried to Save Her

If you think America is screwed up … If you wonder how we got from the confident, heroic, liberty-loving America of the past to the depressed, divided, and degraded America of the present (and maybe the future) … You'll find the answer here in 9 Presidents Who Screwed Up America. The best presidents, historian Brion McClanahan shows, are the ones who see their role as limited, constitutional, chief executives of the republic, nothing more, nothing less. The worst are the ones who want to "reform" the country through the power of the federal government, which usually means usurping the power of Congress-or the people-and circumventing the Constitution. The only true way to grade a president is not on the "reforms" or changes he instituted, but on how well he kept his oath of office to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." McClanahan shows how some of our most celebrated presidents were among the worst offenders of that oath and sowed the seeds of future corruption. Sprightly, provocative, and readable, Professor McClanahan provides an eye-opening look at America's presidents.