Call number: E840.8.L84 S53 2012

Two-time chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Richard G. Lugar has been one of the most widely respected foreign policy experts in Congress for over three decades. In this illuminating profile, John T. Shaw examines Lugar’s approach to lawmaking and diplomacy for what it reveals about the workings of the Senate and changes in that institution. Drawing on interviews with Lugar and other leading figures in foreign policy, Shaw chronicles Lugar’s historic work on nuclear proliferation, arms control, energy, and global food issues, highlighting the senator’s ability to influence American foreign policy in consequential ways. The book presents Lugar’s career as an example of the role Congress can play in the shaping of foreign policy in an era of a strong executive branch. It demonstrates the importance of statesmanship in contemporary American political life while acknowledging the limitations of this approach to governance. (From Google Books)

 Call number: E901.1.O23 T84 2008

Yes We Can: Barack Obama’s History-Making Presidential Campaign is the story of Barack Obama’s historic journey from junior Senator from Illinois to-if all polls hold as indicated-President of the United States of America, as documented by Scout Tufankjian, the only independent photographer to cover his entire campaign from before he announced his run through the expected election night celebration in Chicago’s Grant Park. Obama’s grassroots journey touched something profound in America, inspiring individuals of every age, color, educational background, and economic status with his visions of leadership, belief in a better tomorrow, and a return to the hallmarks of American ideals. In the course of his visits to almost every state in the union, Obama electrified record-breaking crowds at his rallies and motivated millions of people to engage in the political process.
The results have been nothing short of a revolution in political strategy, communication, and activism. Be it a skeptical old farmer from Tama, Iowa, who was surprised to realize that he had something in common with this young black politician, or an eight-year-old boy from Los Angeles who couldn’t stop saying, ;He looks like me and he is going to be President! ;, Senator Obama instilled a feeling of unity and hope in a nation scarred by divisive politics and pessimism. Obama’s campaign created a movement, a faith, and a feeling that has not been present in American politics for decades-if ever. Yes We Can is a comprehensive and intimate portrait of this world-changing campaign. With more than 200 color photographs by Tufankjian, the book takes the reader along on Obama’s personal and political journey. Tufankjian was there from the beginning, attending a book signing almost two years ago in New Hampshire that marked the start of a fascination with the man who would be president. Sensing something truly important was happening, Tufankjian decided to document the journey of this long-shot candidate. From coffee shops and diners to auto manufacturing plants and bowling alleys, Tufankjian followed Obama as he wooed potential voters in expensive houses as well as in poverty-stricken Indian reservations. She covered the primaries, the debates, and the final weeks of the hard-fought campaign, shooting more than 12,000 images-the deepest, most comprehensive, and most personal portrait of the man and his run as well as the people who came to see him, hear him, and vote for him. Yes We Can is as much about Americans and their hopes and visions for America as it is about the man that gave them voice. (From Google Books)

Call number: E886 .F45 2008

Just before noon on January 20, 2001, the most powerful and arguably most ambitious man in the world relinquished the public stage, reluctantly, at the young age of fifty-four. Having endured infamous scandals and impeachment, President Bill Clinton left office with record approval ratings-and embarked on an uncertain journey. Since then Clinton has moved in and out of the shadows of this “exile,” leaving the millions who knew him to wonder: How has this man of such outsized talent and passions adjusted to leaving power?
Based on more than 150 interviews with the former president’s friends, associates, and sometime enemies, Clinton in Exile takes readers from Clinton’s last hours in office, through his indulgent personal life and well-publicized humanitarian efforts, to his front-of-camera and behind-the-scenes coordination of his wife’s presidential campaign. What is the status of his relationship with Hillary? What would be his role if they were to return to the White House? What happened behind closed doors that may have influenced the pardon of Marc Rich? Who is the woman rumored to have been Clinton’s postpresidency girlfriend? What does Clinton privately acknowledge to be the greatest mistakes of his presidency? What’s happened to the Clinton-Gore relationship since they left the White House? What is the nature of Clinton’s relationship with George H. W. Bush? Noted biographer and journalist Carol Felsenthal has spent two years investigating these questions among many others, and her reporting gives a fascinating and textured portrait of this complex man. Clinton in Exile is the definitive biography of one of the most towering, intriguing, and deeply controversial figures of our time. (From Google Books)