About Worst. President. Ever.:"It's ironic that Pennsylvania's only President, James Buchanan, is almost universally proclaimed as our worst. His bumbling performance as President belied the fact that he had perhaps the best previous experience that would qualify him to serve in the Oval Office--as a State Legislature, a Congressman, a U.S. Senator, an Ambassador to Russia and Great Britain, and Secretary of State. In this book, Robert Strauss details the Buchanan presidency in an entertaining and humorous fashion, and also takes potshots at the concept of ranking our presidents.
It is a must read for those interested in the history of the presidency."--Edward G. Rendell, former governor of Pennsylvania "Authors who want to teach us the secrets of the best are a dime a dozen. Only Robert Strauss could show us what we have to learn from the worst. Worst. President. Ever. is a tour de force--entertaining and edifying in equal measure.
"--Kermit Roosevelt, Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania"Count me among those media personalities who've been solicited to engage in our national parlor game: Ranking American Presidents. You know the drill. We reflexively offer Abraham Lincoln and George Washington as among the best of American presidents, and then, depending upon contemporary bias, toss in Ronald Reagan or maybe cite the abbreviated tenure of John F. Kennedy. But at the bottom of the list, there's rarely debate. Rather, near-unanimity that America's worst chief executive was the only Pennsylvanian to inhabit the White House, James Buchanan. Now comes Robert Strauss with Worst. Present.
Ever., which demands that we justify our pre-conceived opinions on Buchanan's tenure. Perhaps history, in the absence of scholarly analysis like that which has been shown on Buchanan's brethren, has judged No. 15, arguably the most credentialed candidate ever to assume the presidency, too harshly. I'll not give away the insight and analysis. Suffice it to say that Strauss makes his case in a manner to be appreciated by both serious historians and modern day politicos. This treatment of a critical piece of Pre-Civil War history will leave readers engaged, entertained, and better equipped to justify their next ranking of Buchanan's true place in American history."--Michael Smerconish, television and radio host.