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The United States witnessed an unprecedented failure of its political system in the mid-nineteenth century, resulting in a disastrous civil war that claimed the lives of an estimated 750,000 Americans. In his other acclaimed books about the American presidency, Fred Greenstein assesses the personal strengths and weaknesses of presidents from George Washington to Barack Obama. Here, he evaluates the leadership styles of the Civil War-era presidents. Using his trademark no-nonsense approach, Greenstein looks at the presidential qualities of James K. Polk, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, and Abraham Lincoln. For each president, he provides a concise history of the man's life and presidency, and evaluates him in the areas of public communication, organizational capacity, political skill, policy vision, cognitive style, and emotional intelligence. Greenstein sheds light on why Buchanan is justly ranked as perhaps the worst president in the nation's history, how Pierce helped set the stage for the collapse of the Union and the bloodiest war America had ever experienced, and why Lincoln is still considered the consummate American leader to this day. Presidents and the Dissolution of the Union reveals what enabled some of these presidents, like Lincoln and Polk, to meet the challenges of their times--and what caused others to fail.

HISTORY / United States / Civil War Period (1850-1877) --- HISTORY / United States / 19th Century --- POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Process / Leadership --- POLITICAL SCIENCE / Government / Executive Branch --- Political leadership --- Presidents --- Presidency --- Heads of state --- Executive power --- History --- United States --- Politics and government --- Abraham Lincoln. --- American Civil War. --- American presidency. --- American presidents. --- Barack Obama. --- California purchase. --- Democratic Party. --- Franklin Pierce. --- Fugitive Slave Act. --- George Washington. --- James Buchanan. --- James K. Polk. --- Mexican Cession. --- MexicanЁmerican War. --- Millard Fillmore. --- Oregon Territory. --- Zachary Taylor. --- cognitive style. --- emotional intelligence. --- leadership. --- organizational capacity. --- policy vision. --- political skill. --- public communication. --- slavery. --- tariff reduction.

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Secrets and Leaks examines the complex relationships among executive power, national security, and secrecy. State secrecy is vital for national security, but it can also be used to conceal wrongdoing. How then can we ensure that this power is used responsibly? Typically, the onus is put on lawmakers and judges, who are expected to oversee the executive. Yet because these actors lack access to the relevant information and the ability to determine the harm likely to be caused by its disclosure, they often defer to the executive's claims about the need for secrecy. As a result, potential abuses are more often exposed by unauthorized disclosures published in the press. But should such disclosures, which violate the law, be condoned? Drawing on several cases, Rahul Sagar argues that though whistleblowing can be morally justified, the fear of retaliation usually prompts officials to act anonymously--that is, to "leak" information. As a result, it becomes difficult for the public to discern when an unauthorized disclosure is intended to further partisan interests. Because such disclosures are the only credible means of checking the executive, Sagar writes, they must be tolerated, and, at times, even celebrated. However, the public should treat such disclosures skeptically and subject irresponsible journalism to concerted criticism.

POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Freedom & Security / International Security. --- POLITICAL SCIENCE / Government / Executive Branch. --- POLITICAL SCIENCE / History & Theory. --- Whistle blowing --- Leaks (Disclosure of information) --- Official secrets. --- Disclosure of information --- Disclosing official secrets --- Government secrecy --- Secrecy in government --- Secrets, Official --- Secrets of state --- Confidential communications --- Criminal law --- Government and the press --- Government information --- Ministerial responsibility --- Secrecy --- Blowing the whistle --- Whistleblowing --- Public interest --- Political aspects. --- Official secrets --- United States --- Political aspects --- Politisk videnskab --- Congress. --- Constitution. --- Freedom of Information Act. --- U.S. Congress. --- anonymity of disclosures. --- classified information disclosure. --- classified information. --- courts. --- democracy. --- executive power. --- executive privilege. --- executive. --- judges. --- judicial review. --- law. --- leaking. --- legitimacy. --- national security. --- public interest. --- retaliation. --- state secrecy. --- statecraft. --- transparency. --- unauthorized disclosure. --- unauthorized disclosures. --- whistleblowers. --- whistleblowing. --- wrongdoing.