Most presidents have proclaimed the need for unity, civility, and cooperation. In reality, each has struggled to balance the sometimes conflicting roles of Commander-in-Chief, Chief Executive, and party leader.

But between the familiar extremes of high-minded rhetoric and political horse-trading, some Presidents have succeeded in rallying the parties and the nation at crucial points in our history, while others have failed.

Call to Greatness examines how our next President can learn from the successes and failures of past Presidents to be an effective leader during a time of tremendous challenges at home and abroad.

"In his four decades in Washington, David Abshire has seen a lot of history made from the White House. Here he deftly plucks pertinent lessons from history for whomever the voters send to the White House to make more history."
—George F. Will, Columnist, The Washington Post

"David Abshire has distilled a lifetime of service and study into a single bracing volume. It is a must-read for the Presidential candidates, those who serve them, and every citizen who cares about the challenges we face."
—George Stephanopoulos, ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent

"In A Call to Greatness, David M. Abshire has provided an invaluable guide, which includes the lessons learned from the experiences of past administrations as well as time-honored principles of superior leadership."
—The Honorable Edwin Meese III, Ronald Reagan Distinguished Fellow, The Heritage Foundation

Visit A Call to Greatness: Challenging Our Next President Website

You can download Introduction, Forward, Chapter 1 in PDF format.

By David M. Abshire
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (January 25, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 074256245X
ISBN-13: 978-0742562455

INTRODUCTION

AMERICA TODAY faces profound challenges at home and abroad. Taken together, they constitute nothing less than a “gathering storm,” the likes of which our nation has not seen in many years. In order to meet these challenges effectively, the next President will need to unite the nation as it has been united in its finest moments—
such as the Revolution and World War II—and both devise and carry out a grand strategy for American renewal. It is easy for candidates and Presidents to talk a good line on national unity, but, for the man or woman elected in 2008, restoring this critical source of American strength will be a requirement.

I strongly agree with the frank but wise account of national challenges, Presidential history, and strategic recommendations presented in the pages that follow. David Abshire, a lifelong public servant, has been an advisor to Presidents, an Assistant Secretary of State, an Ambassador to NATO, a founder of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and now heads the Center for the Study of the Presidency.

Here, he draws on his own experience as well as his impressive knowledge of past Presidential successes and failures to present an indispensable guide to Executive Office leadership and a roadmap to restoring America’s financial freedom, unity of action, and position in the world. David can be a critical judge, and his recommendations may not jibe with the conventional wisdom of campaign politics—but his concept of civility and strategic vision needs to be heard in 2008 more than ever. As the polls tell us, the American public has had enough. They yearn for accountability and competence in both the Executive and Legislative branches.

David Abshire and I came to Washington over four decades ago from very different backgrounds. A West Point graduate who served in Korea, David finished his Ph.D. in History from Georgetown University in 1959, and shortly thereafter became director of the House Republican Policy Committee. I came as a Senate staffer for Hubert Humphrey in 1949.

We both witnessed the Cuban Missile Crisis and worked together to overcome the second missile crisis of the mid-1980s. In those years the Soviets were making their final attempt to break the backbone of the transatlantic alliance through deploying SS-20 missiles. David was then our Ambassador to NATO, rallying our allies against the Soviets, while I was the strategic arms negotiator in Geneva, frequently visiting him at NATO headquarters for our reports. As special counselors to the President we were fortunate to have been involved in the successful management of a near-disaster. In both of these missile crises—in 1962 and in the 1980s—the nation and our allies were unified in our strategic goals, and mobilized to respond decisively.

If there had been divisions abroad and polarization at home, we would have lost the Cold War, as we seem to be losing our global stature today. The adage for this book is, appropriately, Lincoln’s: “A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand.” ...

August 1, 2007
Max M. Kampelman
Vice Chairman
Board of Trustees
Center for the Study of the Presidency

Max M. Kampelman was from 1980 to 1983 Ambassador to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe; from 1985 to 1989 Ambassador and Head of the United States Delegation to the Negotiations with the Soviet Union on Nuclear and Space Arms in Geneva; and from 1987 to 1989 Counselor of the Department of State. He then rejoined the law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver, and Jacobson, LL.P.

Ambassador Kampelman serves as Chairman Emeritus of the American Academy of Diplomacy, Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and Freedom House.

In 1999, President Bill Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. In 1989, President Reagan awarded him the Presidential Citizens Medal, which recognizes “citizens of the United States who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.”

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