SKU: 49170840940

In the Shadow of the Oval Office: Profiles of the National Security Advisers and the Presidents They Served--From JFK to George W. Bush

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In the Shadow of the Oval Office: Profiles of the National Security Advisers and the Presidents They Served--From JFK to George W. BushThe most solemn obligation of any president is to safeguard the nation's security. But the president cannot do this alone. He needs help. In the past half century, presidents have relied on their national security advisers to provide that help. Who are these people, the powerful officials who operate in the shadow of the Oval Office, often out of public view and accountable only to the presidents who put them there? Some remain obscure even to this

The most solemn obligation of any president is to safeguard the nation's security. But the president cannot do this alone. He needs help. In the past half century, presidents have relied on their national security advisers to provide that help.

Who are these people, the powerful officials who operate in the shadow of the Oval Office, often out of public view and accountable only to the presidents who put them there? Some remain obscure even to this day. But quite a number have names that resonate far beyond the foreign policy elite: McGeorge Bundy, Henry Kissinger, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice.

Ivo Daalder and Mac Destler provide the first inside look at how presidents from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush have used their national security advisers to manage America's engagements with the outside world. They paint vivid portraits of the fourteen men and one woman who have occupied the coveted office in the West Wing, detailing their very different personalities, their relations with their presidents, and their policy successes and failures.

It all started with Kennedy and Bundy, the brilliant young Harvard dean who became the nation's first modern national security adviser. While Bundy served Kennedy well, he had difficulty with his successor. Lyndon Johnson needed reassurance more than advice, and Bundy wasn't always willing to give him that. Thus the basic lesson -- the president sets the tone and his aides must respond to that reality.

The man who learned the lesson best was someone who operated mainly in the shadows. Brent Scowcroft was the only adviser to serve two presidents, Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush. Learning from others' failures, he found the winning formula: gain the trust of colleagues, build a collaborative policy process, and stay close to the president. This formula became the gold standard -- all four national security advisers who came after him aspired to be "like Brent."

The next president and national security adviser can learn not only from success, but also from failure. Rice stayed close to George W. Bush -- closer perhaps than any adviser before or since. But her closeness did not translate into running an effective policy process, as the disastrous decision to invade Iraq without a plan underscored. It would take years, and another national security aide, to persuade Bush that his Iraq policy was failing and to engineer a policy review that produced the "surge."

The national security adviser has one tough job. There are ways to do it well and ways to do it badly. Daalder and Destler provide plenty of examples of both. This book is a fascinating look at the personalities and processes that shape policy and an indispensable guide to those who want to understand how to operate successfully in the shadow of the Oval Office.



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 02/05/2011
ISBN: 9781416553205
Pages: 400
Weight: 1.29lbs
Size: 9.02h x 5.98w x 0.89d

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SKU: 49170840940

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Carmen Alicea
Houston, US
★★★★★ 5
Stepbrothers, Secrets, and Sizzling Heat
Format: Kindle
Twisted Lies by Roxy Collins is a wild ride through family secrets, amnesia, and a steamy stepbrother romance. When Kelly discovers her life is built on lies, she ends up tangled with three alpha stepbrothers and an assassin who once helped her through a heat. The tension? Off the charts! The heat is real, and the complications are messy in the best way. Full of twists, secrets, and fated mates? You'll be hooked from page one! Love omegaverse drama with a dash of taboo? This one's for you!
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Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2024
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Ashley
Louisville, US
★★★★★ 3
Good read
Format: Kindle
The book has some good twists and turns, but truthfully I was so confused on some things. It didn't have a good flow for me personally. Not sure if it's due to typos or using him/her wrongly, but I thought Kelly was both a guy and a girl. Actually I still don't know, and it made me incredibly frustrated. It would refer to Kelley as him or he, and then again in another part of the story as her she and sister. On to the next book, I hope there is some clarity and a smoother flow. This is a slow burn, and I just don't know how much I care for the Alphas yet. Idk if I recommend.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2023
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75_SweetestBook
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
the lies
Format: Kindle
This is amazing fast pace read that is full of plot twists and lies that keep getting bad. This is a story we’re a omega has been lied to by her mother and finds out that someone is slowing dieing. 3 alpha take the omega and feed her more lies so they can use her against her father so they can find their mate Kelly. This is a dark read and ends in a cliffhanger and so good.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2023
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trinityknt7
Lexington, US
★★★★★ 4
Hot twists
Format: Kindle
This will keep you on your toes toes in a hot twisty mess. You want to love, hate and root for whom is the big question. I’m quickly getting the next book because it ends on a cliffhanger and damn, it’s got me ready to tear into it!
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Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2026
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LanaB
Birmingham, US
★★★★★ 5
Ends in a cliffhanger
Format: Kindle
Thankfully, the next book is already available. Roxy Collins is the queen of omegaverse slow burn. This particular series is omegaverse with wolf shifters. Thoroughly enjoyed this book! Lots of suspense and trying to figure out what is true and what's really going on. I loved it! Pretty spicy once the action starts. Heats are pretty much always spicy. There is a little bit of male interaction, but not full-on shmex. Definitely recommend.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2025

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