Yet he insightfully points out that the president, in every historical era, has to deal with the lunatic fringes as well as the most well structured verbal and political offensive. Rossiter writes, "The American Presidency is not universally admired. Most of us may think of it as a choice instrument of constitutional government, but there are loud dissenters in this country, especially in deep right field, and sharp dissenters abroad, especially in those happy lands where the parliamentary system is counted a success. If the opinions of the former are generally too mixed up with politics to demand serious attentions, the opinion of the latter deserve a hearing and rebuttal." The assassination of John Kennedy and the right wing fervor over the current president's actions and policy tie well together using the framework that Rossiter employs to examine the dissent that exists within the American public at any point in history.

The idea that politically, many of the governing bodies will be at odds with each other, and that this is a healthy sign in a democratic nation is often misunderstood by other authors and citizens. Rossiter's assertion that "antagonism is built into the system" (Rossiter, 36) also shows a deeper level of understanding of the office of President as well as the democratic system as a whole. The theme of conflict and argument bearing many positive fruits tends to run throughput Rossiter's book, and his own explanation of the duties and responsibilities of the President, no matter how comprehensive, still help the reader to understand that within the synchronicity of the system lies a built in battle between competing ideas and ideals.

No discussion of the Presidency and the powers that come with that position would be complete without also discussing the limitations of the office. Rossiter spends an adequate amount of time discussing these limitations in the second chapter of his book. The transition from the idea that the U.S. government was set up to be a model of checks and balances flows and segues well into the...

Rossiter also provides a very insightful annotated examination of the constitution and the powers that keep the president in check. It is very rare to see such a brilliant and comprehensive commentary relative to how the inner workings of the U.S. government exact their influence upon the President, but Rossiter certainly is able to provide this in the latter chapters of his book.
The President's status as the national father figure is also quite interesting and peculiar, as Rossiter points out. Even in the early years, as Washington declared that he would never accept the crown or become king of a nation that had just fought a long and bloody revolution against just such a government, people turned to the President for fatherly guidance and inspiration. Just as many people turned to John F. Kennedy and turn now to Barrack Obama, Americans have turned to their Presidents over the centuries for political and moral identity, support, and as a role model. Morally, the latter is often discussed as Presidents have dealt with personal relationship problems and rumors of White House scandals. These are as old as the office of the Presidency itself.

Rossiter's work is very comprehensive and thorough, and his wit and wisdom relative to the greatest office in the land is quite insightful and refreshing. Though this book was written many decades ago, the author's understanding of the subject matter is so precise and thorough that the book is still very relevant today, some fifty years later. The dichotomies between many of the book's topics and the linking of the seemingly most unrelated issues and presidential personalities.

Rossiter, Clinton. The American Presidency. Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, 1987. pp. 2-3.

Rossiter, Clinton. The American Presidency. Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, 1987. pp. 36.