Letter to a New President: Commonsense Lessons for Our Next Leader - Softcover

Byrd, Robert C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312561652 ISBN 13: 9780312561659

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, 2009

Synopsis

A legendary Senator advises our new president on the commonsense values necessary to lead our nation.

United States senator Robert C. Byrd is the longest-serving member of the Senate in the history of our great Republic. He has lived through two world wars, the Great Depression, the civil rights movement, the Cold War, the resignation of a U.S. president, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and traumatic military conflicts around the globe, including Iraq and Vietnam. Now, Byrd extends a helping hand to the next president of the United States as only he can. He shares a wealth of knowledge from his remarkable life and unique vantage point in history. In Letter to the New President, Byrd has written a valuable and insightful collection of lessons for our country’s next leader.

About this title

About the Author:

Senator Robert C. Byrd is a nine-term Senator from West Virginia.  Serving since 1959, he is the longest-serving Senator in the history of the Republic.  He has held more leadership positions in the U.S. Senate than any other Senator in history, including the Office of President pro tempore, Senate Majority and Minority Leader, Senate Majority and Minority Whip, and chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. 

Steve Kettmann has written for publications including The New York Times, The New Republic, and Salon.com. The author of One Day at Fenway, he cowrote the New York Times bestsellers Juiced with Jose Canseco and What a Party! with Terry McAuliffe.

From Publishers Weekly:

In this book-length letter to the next president, Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) draws on his 56 years of experience in Congress to offer advice, admonition and encouragement. With frequent references to past presidents, especially his personal favorite, Harry Truman, Byrd claims that his passion for the Constitution is only rivaled by his love for his wife. He presents a readable, if slight, survey of past presidencies and a scathing evaluation of the greatest crisis in the nation's history brought about by the failings of the Bush administration: the buildup to the war in Iraq and the president's bungled handling of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. Chapter headings such as Bring Back the Fireside Chat and scads of references to Emerson, Jefferson and Thoreau provide a rich philosophical context to Byrd's political thought, even as much of his advice feels familiar and anodyne: Build Your Presidency Around Accountability. The book's detailed analysis of the great power and responsibility of the executive branch is timely, and prospective presidents and concerned citizens would be well-advised to read Byrd's book. (July)
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About this edition

• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0312561652
• ISBN 13: 9780312561659
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208