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

Sale price$19.12 Regular price$21.24
Save 10%

Pay in installments of $5.31 with ShopPay, AfterPay and Klarna

Shipping Estimate
USA
  • USA
  • CAN

Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Jul 17 - Jul 22

Promo Codes Available:

For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15

Description

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

Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
  • Delivery to the USA:
  1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
  • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
  • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
SKU: 49170840940

Discover Niche Categories That Outsell

Top-Converting Item to Boost Your Average Order

4.9 ★★★★★
Based on 10 reviews
Sort
Highest Rating
Newest First
Oldest First
Product Reviews
L
Verified Purchase
LFTD_STX
Phoenix, US
★★★★★ 5
Great quality, and very bright.
Color: 4inch Spot Light, Color: 4inch Spot Light
I installed 4 of these pod lights in the front bumper of my 2009 f150 (2 spot beam, and 2 combo beam), and I am very pleased with the overall build quality, and brightness of these pod lights. Installing them is fairly straight forward once you have them mounted where you want them, and they look great! I highly recommend these lights if you are looking to upgrade the lighting on your vehicle! The video I have attached is with the amber lens, and the picture with the lights on is without the lens. I prefer to keep the lenses on most of the time since it does add a layer of protection from the sun, and bugs/rocks while driving. I also do prefer the amber color for driving at night compared to the white.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2025
K
Verified Purchase
KW
Port Orchard, US
★★★★★ 5
Awesome, Super Bright!!
Color: 4inch Combo Light
Awesome, Super Bright!!
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2026
M
Verified Purchase
M.C
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 4
Auxbeam FTW
Color: 4inch Flood Light, Color: 4inch Flood Light
Quality product at an affordable price. The pods have a good weight to them and the bracket feels sturdy. I don't recommend them if you're looking for a true yellow light, those covers suck . The drl and turn signal feature is really nice 👌🏼. Only bad thing i can say is that the hardware is starting to rust but thats an easy fix .
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2025
L
Verified Purchase
lisa wren
Grantham, US
★★★★★ 5
Light the way
Color: 4inch Spot Light
Very bright. Reasonable easy install. Love them
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2026
B
Verified Purchase
Brian LeJeune
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 5
cheaper solution but not cheaper in build and functional quality
Color: 4.5inch Spot Light
Im normally a Rigid guy but these Auxbeam LED Pods are brighter than my Rigid. They from my opinion are at the same build quality as the main name brands but at 1/2 the cost..
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2026

recommand products