First Duty: Presidents, the Nation's Security and Self-Centered Politics

by Stephen M. Duncan

Americans who are elected President are mere mortals who are cast into the roles of giants. The ways in which they approach their responsibilities are especially complicated when the safety and security interests of the nation conflict with their political interests. At such times, great character and political courage are required if hard, unpopular, but necessary decisions are to be made. With a military professional's appreciation of national security realities, an historian's eye for important details, keen insight into the art of statecraft based upon personal experience, and a novelist's interest in human drama, Stephen M. Duncan has crafted a fascinating narrative of the political will of each of our modern presidents on matters involving our nation's security. He examines how the presidents balanced national security interests and political expediency in dealing with the wars and other security crises of their day. Using the leadership of Winston Churchill as the standard, he shines a bright light on the particular difficulties, successes, and failures of each president in performing his first and most important duty. This insightful, provocative and very timely book is must reading for everyone who cares about our presidential leadership in a dangerous world and it will appeal to Americans of all political persuasions.

365 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 31, 2019