The President S Plane Is Missing

New in Paperback! In the 1940s, FDR was the first airborne president, flying several times in a C-54 nicknamed the "Sacred Cow." In the 1950s, it was aircraft known as "Independence", "Columbine II" and "Columbine III" that transported Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower on occasion. But it was not until after the Korean War, with the United States becoming the leader of the free world, that presidential air travel entered the modern age. The jet-age mobility of the American presidency beginning in the 1960s corresponds directly to the nation's emergence as a super power. Air Force One: The Aircraft that Shaped the Modern Presidency is the story of the planes, the Presidents, their staff and, their many trips across the nation and around the globe. But it's also more than that, it is a vehicle for better understanding the activities and dealings of each presidential administration in the second half of the twentieth century. Through vibrant photography, this book communicates the story of a unique set of planes and the presidents who made them a vital national asset. Now all of these planes and their famous passengers have been captured. Written by Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum curator Von Hardesty and featuring over 200 illustrations, including new photos of the airplane's interiors, this book takes you on a memorable flight through history. Through insider accounts and from a unique vantage point on well-known political events, Hardesty shows how the presidency was transformed by the remarkable advances in aviation technology.

On a calm night in a nervous world, Air Force One jets off from Andrews Air Force Base. Aboard is the President of the United States, Jeremy Haines, an idolized leader whose image combines the best qualities of John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson - but whose inner thoughts remain a dark secret even to his closest aides. The flight is normal - until the plane is high over Arizona. Then, suddenly, before a horrified controller's eyes the plane vanishes from the radar screen.

From the award-winning chief White House correspondent for U.S. News & World Report comes the definitive history of Air Force One. From FDR's prop-driven Pan Am to the glimmering blue and white jumbo 747 on which George W. Bush travels, the president's plane has captured the public's awe and imagination, and is recognized around the world as a symbol of American power. In this unique book, Kenneth Walsh looks at the decisions that our last 12 presidents made on the plane; the personality traits and peccadilloes they revealed when their guard was down; and the way they each established a distinctive mood aboard that was a reflection of their times, as well as their individual personalities. Based on interviews with four living presidents, scores of past and present White House officials, and staff and crew members of Air Force One, Walsh's book reveals countless fascinating stories of life aboard the "flying White House." It also features descriptions of the food, the decor, the bedrooms, the medical clinic, and much more--as well as remarkable photos of the planes (inside and out) and the presidents.

In such popular television series as The West Wing and 24, in thrillers like Tom Clancy’s novels, and in recent films, plays, graphic novels, and internet cartoons, America has been led by an amazing variety of chief executives. Some of these are real presidents who have been fictionally reimagined. Others are “might-have-beens” like Philip Roth’s President Charles Lindbergh. Many more have never existed except in some storyteller’s mind. In The Presidents We Imagine, Jeff Smith examines the presidency’s ever-changing place in the American imagination. Ranging across different media and analyzing works of many kinds, some familiar and some never before studied, he explores the evolution of presidential fictions, their central themes, the impact on them of new and emerging media, and their largely unexamined role in the nation’s real politics. Smith traces fictions of the presidency from the plays and polemics of the eighteenth century—when the new office was born in what Alexander Hamilton called “the regions of fiction”—to the digital products of the twenty-first century, with their seemingly limitless user-defined ways of imagining the world’s most important political figure. Students of American culture and politics, as well as readers interested in political fiction and film, will find here a colorful, indispensable guide to the many surprising ways Americans have been “representing” presidents even as those presidents have represented them. “Especially timely in an era when media image-mongering increasingly shapes presidential politics.”—Paul S. Boyer, series editor “Smith's understanding of the sociopolitical realities of US history is impressive; likewise his interpretations of works of literature and popular culture. . . .In addition to presenting thoughtful analysis, the book is also fun. Readers will enjoy encounters with, for example, The Beggar's Opera, Duck Soup, Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward, Philip Roth's Plot against America, the comedic campaigns of W. C. Fields for President and Pogo for President, and presidential fictions that continue up to the last President Bush. . . . His writing is fluid and conversational, but every page reveals deep understanding and focus. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.”—CHOICE

Since the election of President Donald Trump, the Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the Constitution - covering presidential incapacity - has been a frequent topic of public discussion. But few understand how this amendment really works. Unable: The Law, Politics, and Limits of Section 4 of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment explains, in Part I, the basics of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment, especially Section 4, correcting common misconceptions, and resolving some of its ambiguities. Part II explores history: presidential disability before Section 4; the creation of Section 4 in 1965; the (non)use of Section 4 since then; and Section 4's portrayal in movies, books, and television. Part III presents a series of hypothetical scenarios that dramatize how Section 4 would work - or not work - in a wide variety of situations. Part IV concludes with some thoughts on how Section 4 interacts with constitutional law more generally, and some suggestions on how to improve Section 4's operation. Unable is designed to educate and inform the public about Section 4 and the Twenty-Fifth Amendment in an even-handed and accessible way, allowing readers to judge for themselves whether presidents - past and present - were or are fit to serve in office.

The first editon was called “the most valuable film reference in several years” by Library Journal. The new edition published in hardcover in 2001 includes more than 670 entries. The current work is a paperback reprint of that edition. Each entry contains a mini-essay that defines the topic, followed by a chronological list of representative films. From the Abominable Snowman to Zorro, this encyclopedia provides film scholars and fans with an easy-to-use reference for researching film themes or tracking down obscure movies on subjects such as suspended animation, viral epidemics, robots, submarines, reincarnation, ventriloquists and the Olympics (“Excellent” said Cult Movies). The volume also contains an extensive list of film characters and series, including B-movie detectives, Western heroes, made-for-television film series, and foreign film heroes and villains.

Since the early days of the movie industry, filmmakers have created visions of what the presidency of the United States is like. Several have been biographical studies of famous individuals who have served, such as Lincoln, Kennedy, and Nixon. Many movies have also displayed fictional presidents, in roles big and small, in dramatic tales that displayed them at their best—and sometimes even at their worst. Four Scores and Seven Reels Ago: The U.S. Presidency through Hollywood Films examines the ways Hollywood has portrayed the presidency over the years. Pop culture expert Dale Sherman examines famous presidents and their movies, detailing historical information for each and how or if the filmmakers and artists came close to telling the real story. But let us not forget the many imagined examples of presidents that have appeared in movies and television, as well: presidents have battled aliens, fought monsters, and have even been caught on the wrong side of the law. Lincoln, Thirteen Days, Air Force One, Independence Day, All the President's Men, The President's Analyst, Escape from New York, and several of our favorite movies about real and fictional presidents are included in Four Scores and Seven Reels Ago.