Recarving Rushmore; Ranking the Presidents on Peace, Prosperity, and Liberty
Oakland, CA: The Independent Institute, 2009. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. x, 484, [2] pages. Illustrations. Notes. Index. Inscribed by the author on the title page. Ivan Eland (born February 23, 1958) is an American defense analyst and author. He is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Center on Peace and Liberty at the Independent Institute. Eland's writings generally propose libertarian and non-interventionist policies. Ivan Eland is the author of Putting "Defense" Back into U.S. Defense Policy (2001), The Empire Has No Clothes: U.S. Foreign Policy Exposed (2004), Recarving Rushmore: Ranking the Presidents on Peace, Prosperity, and Liberty (2008; updated edition 2014) and Partitioning for Peace: An Exit Strategy for Iraq (2009). He has also written essays, including forty-five in-depth studies on national security issues, and numerous popular articles. Derived from a review posted on line. Ivan Eland judges forty-one of the men who have held office on a simple formula: how did they maintain or destroy peace, prosperity, and liberty? This is a unique measuring stick to determine effectiveness. Eland’s best presidents are: John Tyler, Martin Van Buren, Grover Cleveland, and Rutherford B. Hayes. Eland's zesty writing and short chapters allow for a quick and punchy read. One must give him credit for simply venturing to take on establishment group think and for his determination to view the presidency through a different prism. He praises presidents for executive energy when in defense of “liberty” and criticizes them when they don’t, but fails to understand that these actions would have (and often did) violated their oath of office. Everyone should read Recarving Rushmore. It is a refreshing and novel departure from the mundane, presidential biographies that generally occupy space on book shelves. Anyone who has the guts to rank John Tyler as the best president in American history deserves attention. Condition: Very good / Very good.
Keywords: Theodore Roosevelt, John Tyler. John Quincy Adams, Presidents, Performance Measurement, Civil Rights, Peace, Prosperity, Liberty, Presidential Power
ISBN: 9781598130225
[Book #78327]
Price: $60.00