Алистер Смит - The Spoils of War - Greed, Power, and the Conflicts That Made Our Greatest Presidents

expansionism and, 80, 242

in presidential elections of 1852, 1856 and 1860, 122–126, 123 (fig.), 124 (fig.), 125 (fig.)

secession and, 133–134

slavery tolerance in, 115

Notes on the State of Virginia (Jefferson), 51

nuclear weapons, 189

advent of, 9

in Cuba, 219, 230–231, 232

Obama, Barack, 5, 20

defense spending under, 235, 235 (fig.)

electoral politics and, 227, 231

“game changer” message on Syria by, 222–223, 226–227, 227 (fig.), 230, 232

JFK compared to, 230, 231–232

national debt inherited by, 210

political strategies of, 109, 235

reelection of, 222

Syria crisis response by, 222–226, 228, 231, 235–236

troop withdrawal from Iraq and, 220–222

Ukraine crisis response by, 218, 231

weakness revealed to Putin by, 226–227, 235–236

Office of Management and Budget, 247

Ohio Company, 36, 57

Algonquin Indian agreement with, 49–50

Britain’s 1767 declaration and decline of, 33–34

founders and shareholders of, 30–31

political ties and land acquisition of, 32

royal grant of land to, 29–30

Washington, G., involvement with, 24–25, 28–34

Ohio Valley, 4, 29–30, 36

Omar, Sheikh, 20

Oregon Territory, 242, 254

partisan support

of airstrikes against Syria, 227, 227 (fig.)

of Bush, G. W., compared to LBJ, 208–209, 208 (fig.), 212

for Iraq War, 190

in presidential races, 140

peace

FDR’s speech on, 150

presidential popularity and, 18

presidential quality and, 254, 255 (fig.)

war preparation for, 234–235

Perot, H. Ross, 244

Pickens, Francis Wilkinson, 133–134

Pierce, Franklin, 110, 122, 123 (fig.), 255 (fig.)

Pine Ridge campaign, 14

Plessy v. Ferguson , 100

Poland, 148–149, 154, 158

political theorists, 107

founding fathers as, 8–9

on Lincoln’s political ability, 108–110

Polk, James

ranking of, 15 (fig.), 16, 255 (fig.)

reelection of, 15

war motivations of, 13, 240–242

popular sovereignty, 102, 104, 119–120

Poroshenko, Petro, 236, 237–238

Potomac Company, 32–33

Powell, Colin, 192

presidential races

of 1852, 122–123, 123 (fig.)

of 1856, 123, 124 (fig.)

of 1860, 96, 112–113, 122–126, 125 (fig.), 244

of 1940 and 1944, 169–170

of 2000, 176, 244

Electoral College impact on, 244–246

partisan divide in, 140

slander in, 10–11

third term of FDR in, 148, 151–155, 164–165

third-party candidate impact on, 241–242, 244

war and reelection in, 14, 17, 18, 137, 143, 153–155, 176–177, 182–183, 189, 195–196, 199–200, 208–209, 215–216, 240–241

before and during War of 1812, 76, 78–79, 86

Willkie’s strategy for, 170–172

See also reelection

presidents

motives of, 4–7, 233–234

mythological perspective on, 1–4, 93–94

passivity of, in war stories, 9–10

peace and popularity of, 18

as political theorists, 8–9

ranking of, 14, 15–19, 15 (fig.), 18 (fig.), 177, 254, 255 (fig.)

rivals compared to yes-men in cabinet of, 107–109

war authority of, 9–10, 11–12, 179, 239

principal-agent problem, 108

Proclamation of 1763, 4, 29–30, 36, 37, 44

public opinion and support

of Afghanistan war, 215

of airstrikes on Syria, 227, 227 (fig.)

of Bush, G. W., 176, 177, 200, 208–209, 208 (fig.)

Electoral College at odds with, 244–245

FDR educating, 160–161

FDR influenced by, 142–143, 157–159, 173

of Iraq War, 182, 182 (fig.), 215–216

of Jewish refugees, 164

of LBJ, 176, 177, 179–181, 187–188, 208–209, 208 (fig.), 215

of presidents in peacetime, 18

of selective service lottery, 214

of Vietnam War, 177, 178–180, 179 (fig.), 183, 185

with war casualties and human costs, 210–211, 214, 253

war financing and, 253

of World War II, 148, 155, 157–159, 160, 171–172

Putin, Vladimir

Obama’s weakness revealed to, 226–227, 235–236

Syria crisis response from, 222–226, 228, 235–236

troop withdrawal from Iraq and, 221

Ukraine crisis and motivations of, 219, 220, 228

Quincy, Josiah, III, 89, 239

racial discrimination, 100

FDR’s actions on, 165–166

in military service, 166–169, 211, 250

Randolph, A. Philip, 165–166

Randolph, John, 74, 76, 81–83

reelection

of Bush, G. W., 176–177, 182–183, 189, 195–196, 199–200, 208–209, 215–216

FDR’s ambition for, 143, 153–155, 159, 163, 165, 169–170

of Lincoln, 137

of Obama, 222

Polk’s approach to, 15

war and pursuit of, 14, 17, 18, 137, 143, 153–155, 176–177, 182–183, 189, 195–196, 199–200, 208–209, 215–216, 240–241

religion, 6

Republican Party (post-1854)

on airstrikes against Syria, 227, 227 (fig.)

antislavery manifestation of, 119, 123

“black,” 115

LBJ compared to Bush, G. W., support in, 208–209, 208 (fig.), 212

See also Democrat-Republican Party (pre-1854)

revolutionaries. See American revolutionaries

Revolutionary War. See War for Independence, American

RFK. See Kennedy, Robert

Rhett, Robert Barnswell, 133–134

Rice, Condoleezza, 195

Robertson, George, 118

Roosevelt, Franklin (FDR), 9, 196, 213, 254

African American support of, 164–165

“Arsenal for Democracy” speech by, 159, 160–161

civil rights work of, 165–168

courage of, 143, 158, 163

economic achievements of, 144–145, 147–148, 163, 164

electoral politics and, 143, 145, 155, 163, 165, 168, 169, 172

foreign affairs ability of, 163–164, 173

four freedoms campaign of, 167

Japanese internment by, 169–170

on Jewish immigration, 164

motives of, 3, 4, 15, 143, 153, 163, 169–170

national defense expansion and, 155–156, 162–163, 172

neutrality declaration of, 150–151, 152–154

New Deal programs of, 144–145, 146–147, 148, 158, 170, 171–172

in 1940 and 1944 election, 169–170

on peace, 150

presidency from 1932–1940, 144–148

public opinion education by, 160–161

public opinion influence over, 142–143, 157–159, 173

ranking of, 15 (fig.), 16, 18 (fig.), 19, 255 (fig.)

reelection ambition of, 143, 153–155, 159, 163, 165, 169–170

segregation in military and, 166–168, 250

southern states and, 165, 169

third term of, 148, 151–155, 164–165

two sides of, 141–143

Willkie’s campaign against, 170–172

World War II response by, 5, 20, 143, 147–148, 149–151, 153–164, 172–173

Roosevelt, Theodore, 15 (fig.), 17, 140, 255 (fig.)

Rule of 1756, 67

Rumsfeld, Donald, 195, 202

Russell, Richard B., 198–199

Russia. See Cuban missile crisis; Khrushchev, Nikita; Putin, Vladimir; Ukraine/Crimea crisis (2014)

Scott, Dred. See Dred Scott v. Sandford

Scott, Winfield, 111, 122, 123 (fig.)

Scowcroft, Brent, 193–194

secession, 86

Constitution on state, and formation, 126–129

debate on right to, 127–128

Lincoln’s views and actions on, 126, 127–130, 132–136, 139

northern states on, 133–134

opposition to, 110, 124, 133

of southern states, 129–135, 140

See also dissolution, national

segregation, 100

in military, 166–168, 250

during and post-Civil War, 140, 167

Segura, Gary, 210

selective service, 161, 167, 199, 212–214

Selective Service Act, 161