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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B. R. Grande
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 4
Works well, need power tool to assemble
Color: Beige, Size: 3 Panel-102‘’-Round Pad, Color: Beige, Size: 3 Panel-102‘’-Round Pad
Sturdy enough, especially when feet are positioned for balance. Works perfectly to create a WFH “cubicle”. Can adjust the size to provide complete privacy or fold back a panel when I want more openness. The fabric panels are not perfectly taught, but pretty close. The only negative is that without my husband’s power drill/screwdriver we wouldn’t have been able to put it together. It would take the strength of Thor to do it with just a manual screwdriver.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2022
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Cynthia Ross
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 5
Now I don't have to see the "black hole" that used to be my family room!
Color: Black, Size: 4 Panel-136‘’W-Round Pad
I have an adult child living at home and his bedroom is tiny, so he's pretty much taken over the family room. We are both much happier now that the divider is up. It is about 12 feet long and gives him privacy to watch his movies and play his video games. And I don't have to see all the shoot-em-up stuff he likes to watch. I put the divider together with just a screwdriver (not a power one, that would be nice but I don't have so I had to use a little elbow grease.) It took a couple hours. The instructions are straightforward. I did have to use my long dining room table to attach the feet to the divider panels, which was a bit tricky. But I'm really pleased with the end result. I'm NOT a handywoman, so I feel proud that I did it "all by myself." He wanted the black fabric, but I think the lighter colors would have been better for a room that gets hot in the summer. Just my opinion. Whatever color you choose, I think you'll like the end result.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2023
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LakeOfJudea
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 3
Busted spring on one side....
Color: Black, Size: 28-70"W x 48-120"H (Pack of 1), Color: Black, Size: 28-70"W x 48-120"H (Pack of 1)
I would have given it five stars except for the fact that 1) the instructions that come with it are miserable so you will definitely want to refer to the photos they have in the advertisement here, and 2) it appears that one of the vertical poles has a busted spring and I literally had to stuff some socks underneath it to make it hold. Definitely an eyesore, so I'm not thrilled about that. With that being said, I'm in an apartment and I don't want to drill in the walls to hang a curtain rod. My sliding glass doors have a track that I was able to get brackets that fit over the track to hold a pole, but I had one window that I could not do that with. I thought this would be an interesting way to hang curtains without doing damage. I considered those sticky tape curtain rod holders, but I was reading a lot of bad reviews about them not holding or them taking the paint off upon removal. I figured this was the better option and it gave the room some nice aesthetics because my furniture is farmhouse white wood with black iron accents, so this blended really well with the aesthetics of the room. I know that most people who did reviews used this product as its advertised to be a room divider for privacy... So I figured this is a nice way to review using this product in a different way. I just really can't stand window blinds, as they look so commercial and industrial to me... I needed a way to make the space seem more homey. While this is working fine for me, the reality is I have white lace curtains, which don't weigh much. I don't know that I could recommend this product, even though it says it can support a bit of weight, with curtains that are too heavy. Some of that, in part, is due to the fact that one of my springs is broken so it's not very stable as it is. However, even if I was not having the issue with the spring being busted on one side, I still don't think this would be good with heavy curtains (especially if you like opening your curtains frequently). It did come with curtain hooks if you have the kind of curtains that allow you to use hooks to hang them. I do not. My curtains just slide onto the pole. If they were the type that could be put up with hooks then opening and closing them would probably be easier and maybe not as big of a deal as it is for me with the type of curtains I have. I cannot comment on longevity as I just installed it today... If anything changes I will try to remember to come back and modify this review.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2025
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Autumm Caines
Pawtucket, US
★★★★★ 5
Easy setup works well
Color: Black, Size: 28-70"W x 48-120"H (Pack of 1)
I love these! Have bought two so far. Easy set up and no damage to walls. Room divider or window curtains. Works great!!
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Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2026
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CLW
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 5
Easy to Put Together -
Color: Black
This was easy to put together. It is light weight. I use it in my spare room. And I have a light weight blanket I display, hanging over it.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2026

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