Starting with Washington, who allegedly gambled and whipped his horses, and Lincoln, the "ape ...gorilla ...monster," vilified for his wife's extravagance, our presidents have been accused of malfeasance and scandalous conduct--slander abetted by the press to satisfy a gossip-avid public. In this succulent collection of bruited White House peccadillos, Mitchell ( How to Get Elected ) verifies that Kennedy deserved his repute for libertinage, Buchanan for ineptitude and Pierce for alcoholism, but he shows that more damaging were Harding's Teapot Dome scandals and Nixon's Watergate debacle. Other presidents, notably Cleveland and Wilson, lied about their health, and both Roosevelts excelled at manipulating Congress. To Reagan, "The Teflon President," Mitchell awards the prize for mismanagement and political irresponsibility. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- ISBN10 0781800633
- ISBN13 9780781800631
- Publish Date 25 November 1992
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 2 June 2021
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Hippocrene Books Inc.,U.S.
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 430
- Language English