Strong Presidents

Strong Presidents is a fascinating discussion of presidential thought processes. Like Barber's study of personality, the author relies heavily on speeches and writing that often predate these "poets' " presidencies. This is an important effort that shows the early ambition of these future presidents to succeed. In this sense, Abbott offers a fascinating evolution of the thought processes of some of the strong poet-presidents. More than half of the book is devoted to three "monu­mental" presidents: Washington, Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt. Of course, much prior work exists on these presidents and, presumably, it would be impos­sible to garner this same amount of evidence on less poetic presidents: however, we need to know more about the huge residual category to better understand the difference between the strong and the weak, the latter of whom are ignored here. Abbott wonders whether strong presidents are necessary or desirable for the public good and draws implications about the strong presidents' misreading their predecessors, thereby creating substantial obstacles for their successors.