Eyewitness To Power: The Essence of Leadership Nixon to Clinton by David Gergen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Of these [qualities], integrity is the most important for a president. As former senator Alan Simpson said in introducing Gerald Ford at Harvard [...]: 'If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters.'"

David Gergen has been my favorite political commentator since mid-to-late 1980s when I religiously watched his segments on the PBS' MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour. I would like to note that I admired the depth and sharpness of his insights even if I vehemently disagreed with the political philosophy of some of the presidents he worked for. For instance, Mr. Gergen was the Director of Communications and Assistant to Ronald Reagan, a president whose certain positive qualities became visible to me only in the light of later presidential disasters, like the forty-third and, particularly, the forty-fifth one.

The author worked for four sitting presidents: Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton, and also for Bush (the elder) before he was elected, and for Carter, after his presidency. Mr. Gergen clearly defines the main intent of his Eyewitness to Power (2000), a New York Times bestseller, in the Preface:

"Rather than inflict a personal memoir upon readers, I try here to bring together what I have learned about presidential leadership. The bulk of the book will trace out the lessons I carried away from the presidents I served in the White House."

Chapters 2 and 3, dedicated to Richard Nixon, provide fascinating reading. Mr. Gergen exposes the bright and the dark sides of Nixon's nature and offers sharp diagnoses about motivations behind the president's decisions:

"To Nixon, history was a handmaiden to leadership. He drew upon it in three ways: to gain a broader perspective on his own times; to impress upon listeners his place in the sun; and to find role models for action."

The title of one of the sections in Chapter 3, Confusing Power with Leadership is probably my favorite phrase in the entire text. The author clearly shows that not understanding the distinction was one of the main reasons for Nixon's downfall. In one passage, the author does not shy away from broad humor: he quotes Haldeman's memorandum that was conveying Nixon's instructions:

"'The president would like to have the bowling ball man come in and fit Mrs. Nixon and Tricia for balls as soon as possible.'"

Chapter 4, A Man of Character is dedicated to leadership aspects of Gerald Ford's short, transitional presidency. The following quote is quite illuminating:

"I have always thought him [Ford] the most decent man I have known in presidency. [...] Emotionally, he was the healthiest president we have had since Eisenhower and Truman."

The author explains that "Jerry Ford didn't need to be president to be happy with his life's arc." He was "well-centered" and "comfortable with himself."

Chapters 5, 6, and 7 (whose titles are so well chosen! The Natural, A Rooseveltian Style, Secrets of the Great Communicator) are dedicated to leadership Ronald Reagan-style. It is obvious that the author considers his presidency to be the most successful of the four he describes, despite admitting that Mr. Reagan had a "second-rate mind." Although I would assign Mr. Reagan's mind a larger ordinal number than "second", I have to grudgingly agree with the author as to the overall evaluation of Mr. Reagan's presidency (particularly now, having witnessed the utter ruination of the office in the recent four years). How is it possible not to agree with

"[...] I recognize that he had his flaws and that many do not share his politics. But even for those who oppose his views, there is a lot to be learned from him about public communications."

The author explains the many factors that contributed to the popular success of Reagan's style of leadership. One of the most important is clearly spelled out:

"[...] leaders must inspire people with confidence in the future. Only if he truly believes in the future himself will his followers make a leap and join him."

Chapters 8, 9, and 10 are dedicated to the study of leadership under Bill Clinton:

"Clinton will always be our paradox. [...] he left the country far better off than he found it. Economically, socially, even culturally, the nation made substantial gains during his stewardship. [...] Yet a sense of aching disappointment hangs over his presidency. How much more he could have achieved [...]"

The author attributes some of the reasons for this sense of disappointment to errors committed during the transition period between the election and January 20th, 1992:

"There is no doubt - even in his mind, I think - that his transition planted seeds that almost destroyed his presidency."

On the one hand, the author praises Clinton for his evident achievements, like passage of NAFTA, despite it being unpopular "in both the Congress and in public polls." On the other, Mr. Gergen clearly points out the deficiencies of Clinton's leadership that contributed to the failure of his health reform plan.

The book ends with Conclusion titled Seven Lessons of Leadership. This list of "seven keys to responsible and effective leadership in the White House" provides a masterful summary of the main ideas on political leadership. In my view, the "Gergen's List" should be mandatory reading for everyone interested in learning about or practicing politics.

To sum up this overlong review, Eyewitness to Power is an outstanding book, one of the best books about politics I have ever read. A great study of leadership, strong on deep analyses, and virtually devoid of gossipy fluff and self-aggrandizement. Very strongly recommended!

Four-and-a-half stars.



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