The American Presidency | Richard Norton Smith | "To The Worst of My Ability: Lessons in Presidential Failure"
Recorded Apr 27, 2016
Direct Download:
20160427-theamer.mp3
On the day he entered the White House, James Buchanan had one ambition: He wanted to be the greatest president since George Washington. Things did not go according to plan. Instead, the Pennsylvanian joined the sad roster of chief executives who faced America’s toughest test—and failed. As the distinguished presidential historian Richard Norton Smith has noted, all the men on this list were respected political figures when they entered the Oval Office. What went wrong? Unlike some of his colleagues, the veteran PBS/C-SPAN commentator believes it is important not to let the voters themselves off the hook.
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