After the White House
Former Presidents as Private Citizens
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- £8.99
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- £8.99
Publisher Description
What exactly has Bill Clinton been doing since he left office? What can he expect to accomplish? What have his predecessors in his position done? Many presidents have had enormous impacts on the course of history after their terms ended, but not until After the White House by Max J. Skidmore has their role been examined. Thirty-two completed their terms. Four became presidential candidates again (one was even elected), two served in Congress, one abandoned his country to accept election to the Confederate Congress, one became Chief Justice, and one has the unique distinction of having his First Lady become a United States senator. Former presidents almost always remain influential, but their post-term activities have received little attention or scrutiny until now.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
When a president leaves the Oval Office, he loses power but not influence, concludes Bill Clinton, the newest member of an illustrious cohort of retirees profiled in this compact history. Political scientist Skidmore argues that studying post-Presidential lives hints at the possibilities for how future retired chiefs will wield this influence in their increasing longevity. The biographies, from George Washington to Bill Clinton, brim with presidential"firsts" and other factoids. For example, ex-Presidents received no pensions until 1958, after Harry Truman complained that Commanders-in-Chief received nothing in retirement while five-star generals earned lifetime salaries, staff and other perks. Ulysses Grant's lucrative and critically acclaimed Memoirs were conceived with his personal finances, rather than posterity, in mind: the cash-strapped former president finished the work on his deathbed so his wife would not be left destitute. Most impressive, though, are the less successful presidents who later re-channeled their energies into other areas of public life to develop significant and rewarding new careers. Thus Jimmy Carter, who was relentlessly criticized during his White House years, went on to win the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize; John Quincy Adams achieved substantial clout as a congressman championing anti-slavery causes; William Taft served nine years as a strong Supreme Court Chief Justice. Skidmore also speculates on George Bush, Sr.'s influence on his son's foreign policies by using the smattering of available clues in the media. Regrettably, Skidmore delivers this and other stories in flavorless prose, and the few meaty portraits become bogged down among the many presidents who settled into unremarkable retirements.
