Responses of the Presidents to Charges of Misconduct

by C. Vann Woodward

Book Overview

Book by Woodward, Comer Vann This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0440059232
• ISBN13: 9780440059233
• Release Date: January 1974
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Length: 415 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Interesting Historical Trivia Concerning Major Issues in the Past

The book, written in legalese, is often abstruse but the reader who is interested in presidential history will find it interesting indeed. The motivation for the creation of the book was to provide historical reference for the preparation of the participants in the Watergate Hearings. As the title suggests, the crises of each presidency are concisely set out, and the presidents' responses are evaluated. Generally, because of the power of the presidency in the past, presidents merely stonewalled investigations and the problem went away. The power of the media was not as it was in the 1970s; the ability of the political party in opposition, who dominated the Watergate committee, was able to spin the news with the complicity of the networks. I watched the hearings closely (in the 70s it was the equivalent of the Simpson trial); in the evening, just in time for the evening news, a sensational 'breaking news' announcement would be made only to be retracted or moderated early the next morning. The chairman of the committee, Henry Hyde was a cornpone folksy demagogue who routinely insulted testifiers unless they were of the right political persuation. I am objective, but the Watergate Hearings were a travesty of justice, and were the past presidents subjected to similar abuse none would have survived. Does anyone know that the 40 million dollars (equivalent to $2 billion today) the USA paid to buy the defunct Panama Canal company, and its rights to the project simply disappeared, and that people associated with Teddy Roosevelt were suspected of appropriating the funds? Despite a Congressional 'investigation', the mystery was never solved. Many more examples are given, often many for many presidencies. Virtually all of the innovations implemented by the Franklin Roosevelt were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, and the programs simply died. Mr Roosevelt's response? Attempt to pack the Supreme Court with his (sympathetic) nominees. The attempt failed. Interesting reading, if you like historical trivia, and irony.