To Serve the President

by Patterson, Bradley H.

• ISBN13: 9780815705116
• ISBN10: 0815705115
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-07-28
• Publisher: INGRAM

Summary

Nobody knows more about the duties, the difficulties, and the strategies of staffing and working in the White House than Brad Patterson. In To Serve the President, Patterson combines insider access, decades of Washington experience, and an inimitable style to open a window onto closely guarded Oval Office turf. The fascinating and entertaining result is the most complete look ever at the White House and the people that make it work.Praise for the hardcover edition of To Serve the President"Patterson is the single best source for understanding and explaining the changes in staffing brought about by the consequential and controversial presidency of George W. Bush.... This masterful work will serve as a valuable resource... and should be widelyread by those interested in the art and craft of governing. Highly recommended. All readership levels." --Choice"[Patterson] provides detailed and accessible insight into the George W. Bush White House." --Library Journal"An excellent portrait of the White House staff, including the important changes implemented during the George W. Bush administration. The book will be an important source of information... for those who study the presidency." --Martha Joynt Kumar, author of Managing the President's Message, winner of the 2008 Richard E. Neustadt Award"The most thorough analysis available of how the White House operates from the perspective of those who work there." --James Pfiffner, George Mason University, author of Power Play: The Bush Presidency and the Constitution

Author Biography

Bradley H. Patterson has lived and worked in Washington for over six decades, including fourteen years on the White House staffs of Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, and Gerald Ford. A past president of the American Society for Public Administration and a senior fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, he has also worked in the State and Treasury departments and the Peace Corps. He is the author of The White House Staff: Inside the West Wing and Beyond (Brookings, 2000) and The Ring of Power (Basic Books, 1988).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
The White House Overall
The Contemporary White House Staff	p. 13
The Cost of the Whole White House	p. 25
The Top Crosscutting Leadership
Javelin-Catcher: The Chief of Staff	p. 37
The Coordination Center: The Staff Secretary	p. 49
The National Security Adviser	p. 56
The "Just-Us" Department: The Counsel to the President	p. 66
The Office of Legislative Affairs	p. 82
Control All the Way Down: The Presidential Personnel Office	p. 93
The Policy Bloc
Policymaking at the White House: Domestic and Economic Affairs	p. 109
The Homeland Security Council	p. 120
Helping Religion to Do Good: The Office of Faith-Based Community Initiatives	p. 131
Volunteerism and Community Service: The USA Freedom Corps Office	p. 142
The Cabinet Liaison Office	p. 150
The Strategic Initiatives and External Affairs Bloc
"Strategery": The White House Political Affairs Office	p. 159
Partnership in Our Federal System: The Office of Intergovernmental Affairs	p. 170
Working with Coalitions to Push the President's Agenda: The Office of Public Liaison	p. 177
The Communications Bloc
"Lipstick on a Pig"? The Office of Communications	p. 189
The Cyber White House: Bush Innovations in Electronic Communications	p. 199
Caught in the Crossfire: The Press Secretary	p. 207
The Speechwriting Office	p. 220
Special Counselors to the President
First Special Counselor: The Vice President	p. 227
Second Special Counselor: The President's Spouse	p. 241
Loyal Shadow: The Presidential Aide	p. 260
The Operations Bloc
Management and Administration	p. 265
The Executive Clerk	p. 272
Records Management	p. 279
The Correspondence Office	p. 285
Paving the Way: The Advance Office	p. 294
Achievements versus Activities: The Office of Appointments and Scheduling	p. 309
The White House Military Office	p. 314
The United States Secret Service	p. 327
The President's Commission on White House Fellowships	p. 338
The Physical White House and its Environment
The Executive Residence	p. 343
The President's Park and the White House Visitor Center	p. 354
The White House Historical Association: A Private, Independent Organization	p. 361
Looking to the Future
Major Long-Term Innovations by the Bush Administration	p. 367
The Essence of White House Service	p. 381
Appendix: Component Offices of the Contemporary White House Staff	p. 393
Notes	p. 399
Index	p. 425
Organizational Charts
Overall Organization of the White House	p. 12
The National Security Council	p. 57
Policy Bloc	p. 108
Homeland Security Council Staff	p. 121
External Affairs Bloc	p. 158
Communications Bloc	p. 188
Office of the Vice President	p. 228
Office of the President's Spouse	p. 242
Operations Bloc	p. 264
The Residence and Its Environment	p. 342
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.