If I were a (tenured) professor of political science, what would I do? Glad you asked. I would devote the entire semester to listening to the 3700 hours of conversations recorded in the Nixon White House between 1971 and 1973. Forget all the Kennedy School lectures at Harvard by August Scholars of government and the executive branch. These tapes are the real deal: Mediocre minds revealing bigotry and profound ignorance of whatever subject they happen to be addressing. And when they came out to make their grand pronouncements, the international media hung on every word.
Gene Healy's remarkable 2008 book, The Cult of the Presidency, lays out in detail the process through which Americans have come to “embrace a virtually limitless notion of presidential responsibility.” As Healy writes, “A man who trumpets his ability to protect Americans from economic dislocation, to shield them from physical harm and moral decay, and to lead them to national glory – such a man is bound to disappoint. Yet, having promised much, he'll seek the power to deliver on his promises.”
Read Full Article »
