Classifications, presidents and kings -- The first bad president: John Tyler -- The compromise: Millard Fillmore -- The byronic president: Franklin Pierce -- Building the house?: James Buchanan -- Lincoln in reverse: Andrew Johnson -- The first hidden hand bad president: Ulysses S. Grant -- The booster: Warren G. Harding -- The minimalist: Calvin Coolidge -- Weathering the storm: Herbert Hoover -- Ex parte exercitii: Richard Nixon -- The latest bad president?: George W. Bush -- Conclusion
Summary
George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt are always at the top of presidential rankings. But what about those presidents who consistently appear at or near the bottom of these lists? Based on the insights found in Shakespeare's treatment of two bad kings, Abbott identifies two kinds of bad presidents and examines the case for including eleven in this category. In each case study, from John Tyler to Richard Nixon (and possibly George W. Bush), he finds a tipping point that places them in this unenviable category. Abbott concludes by discussing why we elected these bad presidents in the first place and how we might avoid adding future bad presidents to the list
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 221-244) and index
