Presidents, Politics, and Moderation: Do Moderates Make the Best Presidents? June 18, 2008

John McCain and Barack Obama each promise an administration that will move beyond the increasing polarization of the past two decades. George W. Bush promised the same in 2000, saying he would "change the tone in Washington." Clearly, avoiding the partisan trap is easier said than done.

In his new book, Leading From the Center: Why Moderates Make the Best Presidents, McGill University professor Gil Troy examines the legacies of eight chief executives and finds that, when tended properly, the political "middle ground" can be most fertile. Though several of the presidents he profiles engendered loathing among their opponents (FDR, Reagan, Clinton) or unrest within their own parties (Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Truman), Troy claims that each pursued a pragmatic centrism on the issues that mattered most to them and, as a result, they are today remembered as some of America's most effective leaders.

Copies of Leading from the Center will be sold at the event.

Official Website: http://www.newamerica.net/events/2008/presidents_politics_and_moderation