Podcasts about power the american odyssey

  In the lead-up to the November 2016 elections, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham joined Dialogue host Marcia Franklin to talk about presidential character. Meacham talks with Franklin about the qualities he believes are essential to being a successful president, and the unique nature of the 2016 presidential race. An executive editor at Random House, Meacham is well-known for his appearances on political discussion programs. He started his journalistic career at the Chattanooga Times and rose to become the editor of Newsweek. Meacham was the speaker at the Idaho Humanities Council's 2016 Distinguished Humanities Lecture in Boise. Meacham's latest book is His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope with an afterword by John Lewis. His 2015 book Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush was a #1 New York Times bestseller. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 2009 for his book American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House. He's also the author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship, and American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers and the Making of a Nation. Originally Aired: 10/20/2016 Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and visit the Dialogue website for more conversations that matter! 

"I can hear you! The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon." - George W Bush, World Trade Center Site, September 14, 2001George W. Bush did not get the presidency he thought he would. He expected to be the tax, entitlement, and education reform guy. Not the war on terror guy.But the deadliest attack in World History will do that to you.Follow along as Bush rides a privileged upbringing to the Texas Governorship, wins the White House after the most controversial election of the past 150 years, then struggles with how to keep Americans safe in the years after 9/11 and how to stave off economic armageddon when the 2008 financial crisis sends the global economy into a free fall.Bibliography1. Bush - Jean Edward Smith2. Obama: The Call of History - Peter Baker3. Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush – Jon MeachamSupport the show

“There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.'” — Bill Clinton's inaugural address, Jan. 20, 1993.Bill Clinton has the highest end-of-term approval rating of any president in modern history - 66%. But that doesn't mean things came easy. It doesn't even mean he succeeded in what he set out to do! Follow along as Clinton rises from Arkansas poverty to become the youngest governor in the country and a dark horse presidential candidate on his way to the White House. Once there, he will contend with a revolution in opposition politics, a government shutdown, and the first presidential impeachment trial since 1868. And then, after all that, he'll try to resolve one of the world's most tragic intractable struggles - the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He won't succeed at that either, but damnit, he'll try.Bibliography1. The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House - John Harris2. Bill Clinton - Michael Tomasky3. Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush – Jon Meacham4. Bush - Jean Edward Smith5. His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life – Jonathan AlterSupport the show

“The Congress will push me to raise taxes, and I'll say no, and they'll push, and I'll say no, and they'll push again. And I'll say to them: ‘Read my lips, no new taxes.'” — George Bush's GOP Nomination Acceptance speech, Aug. 18, 1988."Poor George [Bush], he can't help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth." - Texas Governor Ann Richards at the 1988 Democratic National Convention.George H.W. Bush may have lived one of the most personally moving stories in all of presidential history. There's war. There's loss. There are great heights and great defeats. Through it all, Bush often appeared somewhat wooden. Unreachable. Unavailable. But beneath that was a man of deep emotions. Follow along as Bush fights in World War II, builds an oil empire in Texas, and rises through the ranks of GOP politics to the White House, where he contended with the end of the Cold War, the aggression of an Iraqi dictator, and an economic reckoning that threatened to be the undoing of his career.Bibliography1. Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush – Jon Meacham2. When the World Seemed New: George H. W. Bush and the End of the Cold War - Jeffrey Engel3. The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House - John Harris4. Ronald Reagan: The life – H.W. Brands5. Bush - Jean Edward Smith6.  Richard Nixon, the life – John A. Farrell7. His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life – Jonathan Alter8. Gerald Ford – Douglas BrinkleySupport the show

"Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem," - Ronald Reagan's inaugural address, January 20, 1981.For the first 50 years after the onset of the Great Depression and the election of Franklin Roosevelt, the United States had been led by politicians who believed government held the power to make life better for the American people. Then came Ronald Reagan, one of the most talented political orators in American history. Follow along as Reagan rises from the great depression to realize his dreams in Hollywood, then takes his talents into politics, where he upends a half-century of big-government consensus and pivots the United States toward a small-government future.Bibliography1. Ronald Reagan: The life – H.W. Brands2. Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush – Jon Meacham3. His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life – Jonathan Alter4. Gerald Ford – Douglas Brinkley5.  Richard Nixon, the life – John A. FarrellSupport the Show.

"The erosion of confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and political fabric of the nation," - Jimmy Carter, July 15, 1979~~~Jimmy Carter may have been the luckiest presidential candidate and unluckiest president in American history. Chasing the presidency after Watergate and the pardon of Nixon had crushed American faith in its leaders, Carter's outsider message was the right note at the right time. But once in office, a combination of economic headwinds and international disasters doomed his administration. From Plains, Georgia, to the White House and back, follow along as Carter navigates southern politics and national disenchantment to try and set the nation on a path for the future.Bibliography1. His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life – Jonathan Alter2. Gerald Ford – Douglas Brinkley3. Ronald Reagan: The life – H.W. Brands4. Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush – Jon Meacham5. The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House – John F. HarrisGrave InjusticeThe makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court and the cases they are hearing are no...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the Show.

We try not to do books about politics — political discourse in this country is, currently, divisive in the extreme. However, Carlos Lozada, in his new book, The Washington Book: How to Read Politics and Politicians, gives us a survey of Washington literature that will surprise, delight and inform you. From Tocqueville to Trump, from The Muller Report to DeSantis' plea for the presidency, Carlos has read it all, and written about almost everything he has read. This book is a compendium of his best columns about books…why does Carlos think presidents insist on writing their own biographies? Why is George H.W. Bush one of the only presidents without a presidential autobiography? Tune in and find out. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Washington Book: How to Read Politics and Politicians by Carlos Lozada What We Were Thinking: A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era by Carlos Lozada Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant by Ulysses S. Grant An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood by Jimmy Carter Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush by Jon Meacham Heartburn by Nora Ephron Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Our long national nightmare is over." - Gerald Ford, August 9, 1974~~~Gerald Ford is the only person in American history to reach the vice presidency and the presidency without being elected to either. Despite this, he was a popular president - for 1 month. But then he pardoned Nixon, and it was all downhill from there. Follow along as Ford rides his athletic gifts from Grand Rapids to The University of Michigan and eventually Yale, serves his country in World War 2, then embarks on a quest to become Speaker of the House, only to discover the presidency instead. Once there, he'll grapple with the legacy of Watergate, and a bedeviling rise in unemployment and inflation that threatened to send the country's economy over the cliff.Bibliography1. Gerald Ford – Douglas Brinkley2. Richard Nixon: The Life – John Farrell3. Ronald Reagan: The life – H.W. Brands4. The Vietnam War – Ken Burns (documentary)5. Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush – Jon Meacham6. Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream – Doris Kearns Goodwin7. Indomitable Will: LBJ in the Presidency – Mark K UpdegroveSupport the show

I know we are still in the thick of March and Women's History Month and that our Women in Power series has introduced (or reintroduced) you to some phenomenal female writers, but I wanted to take a moment and pay homage to some of my favorite male writers too, because I have many. You can't go wrong with any of these picks, and I'll link them all below. Women are worthy of being celebrated, but so are men—and good books are always worthy of being celebrated. I hope you are enjoying the Women in Power series! The Call to Serve: The Life of An American President, George Herbert Walker Bush by Jon Meacham Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush by Jon Meacham Truman by David McCullough Malcolm Gladwell collection Michael Lewis collection Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self Help that Actually Works by Dan Harris Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action and Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't by Simon Sinek The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us and The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward by Daniel Pink Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Principles by Ray Dalio Tribes by Seth Godin Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier by Arthur Brooks (and Oprah Winfrey) Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, and Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work by Chip and Dan Heath The Road to Character, The Second Mountain, and How to Know a Person by David Brooks Adam Grant collection Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World by Dr. Vivek Murthy

"People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook." - Richard Nixon, November 17, 1973~~~Richard Nixon's life is a drama unlike any other. A desire to win at any cost earned him the name "Tricky Dick" and carried him from Whittier, California, to the Presidency of the United States, but it also proved his undoing. From Alger Hiss to Checkers, the Chenault Affair, "Nixon goes to China," and Watergate, we will dive into the remarkable rise and fall of the only American to resign the presidency, Richard Milhouse Nixon.Bibliography1. Richard Nixon: The Life – John Farrell2. The Vietnam War – Ken Burns (documentary)3. Gerald Ford – Douglas Brinkley4. Eisenhower in War and Peace – Jean Edward Smith5. Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush – Jon Meacham6. An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917–1963 – Robert Dallek7. Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream – Doris Kearns Goodwin8. Indomitable Will: LBJ in the Presidency – Mark K UpdegroveSupport the show

Het is een unicum in de moderne geschiedenis van de Verenigde Staten. Nooit eerder heeft een president gewaarschuwd voor zijn voorganger en diens aanhang als een gevaar voor de democratische waarden van de Republiek. Joe Bidens redevoering op 1 september 2022 in Philadelphia is dan ook historisch te noemen. En tegelijk natuurlijk brandend actueel. Jaap Jansen en PG Kroeger diepen daarom de totstandkoming, de achtergronden, de inhoud, de politieke betekenis en de inspiratiebronnen uit.De plek waar de president sprak was zelf al een signaal. Joe Biden stond voor Independence Hall, waar op 4 juli 1776 de onafhankelijkheid werd afgekondigd en waar George Washington in 1787 de conferentie voorzat die de Grondwet opstelde. Bidens redevoering was niet minder dan een oproep tot bescherming van de fundamenten van Amerika als democratie.Maar hoe kwam hij ertoe dit zo te doen? Jaap en PG vertellen over de groep gelauwerde historici met wie Biden urenlang sprak over precies die waarden en fundamenten. Onder hen Anne Applebaum, die al eens te gast was in Betrouwbare Bronnen.Politiek moest Biden op eieren lopen. Want hij kon op die heilige grond van de natie geen vlammend partijpolitiek verhaal houden. Het werd niettemin een fel politiek-moreel betoog zonder meel in de mond. Wie hem daartoe de kans gaf? Een wel zeer opmerkelijk iemand: Dick Cheney. Biden kon nu niet alleen een appèl doen op zijn eigen partijgenoten, maar ook op twijfelende kiezers en op de 'mainstream Republicans'.De speech was zo opgebouwd dat de president voortdurend behoudende voorgangers aanhaalde en bijvoorbeeld ook een zeer conservatieve rechter, die als een soort Republikeins geweten geldt. PG stipt allerlei impliciete en expliciete formuleringen aan waarmee Biden iconen van de ‘Grand Old Party' als oprichter Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan en 'Ike' Eisenhower aanhaalt. Jaap hoort zelfs Reagans herverkiezingsleus van 1984 doorklinken. Kondigt Joe Biden hier dus verhuld aan in dat hij in 2024 ook zélf een tweede termijn wil?In elk geval zet Biden zijn grote, lange-termijnplannen nu in het kader van de bescherming van de democratie en ook in het licht van visionaire Democratische voorgangers als FDR en Barack Obama. Zijn vlammende oproep tot respect voor gezamenlijke waarden en de waarheid kent volgens PG nog een inspirator. De vrome katholiek Biden heeft blijkbaar een eerdere speech op diezelfde plek in Philadelphia heel goed beluisterd. In 2015 sprak juist daar paus Franciscus.En Donald Trump? Hij en zijn hardcore aanhang reageerden op een wijze die doet vrezen dat Bidens waarschuwing nog meer gegrond was dan hij en zijn inspiratoren uit de geschiedwetenschap hadden kunnen vermoeden.***Deze aflevering is mede mogelijk gemaakt door donaties van luisteraars via Vriend van de Show. Sponsoring of adverteren is ook mogelijk. Stuur een mailtje naar adverteren@dagennacht.nl voor informatie.***Hieronder nog meer informatie. Op Apple kun je soms niet alles lezen. De complete tekst vind je altijd hier***Verder lezenFull Transcript of President Biden's Speech in PhiladelphiaHistorians privately warn Biden that America's democracy is teeteringAnne Applebaum - Biden Gambles That ‘We the People' Still Exist***Belangrijke boeken van de historici met wie Biden sprak ter voorbereiding van zijn speech:Jon Meacham - The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better AngelsJon Meacham - Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker BushAnne Applebaum - Twilight of DemocracySean Wilentz - Andrew JacksonSean Wilentz - The Age of Reagan: A History, 1974-200810 Best Books by Michael Beschloss***Verder luisteren281 - Fourth of July: Amerika reisgids voor politieke junkies206 - 'Aardverschuiving': Michael Wolff over Donald Trumps laatste dagen als president. En: zijn bezoek aan Mar-a-Lago202 - 4th of July: Joe Biden in het spoor van LBJ (met als gast: Jan Paternotte)159 - Washington DC: na de afgang van Trump optimisme over Biden en Harris150 - De memoires van Barack Obama146 - Amerikaanse presidentsverkiezingen: de machtsoverdracht19 - Anne Applebaum: Poetin en de destabilisering van het Westen***Tijdlijn00:00:00 – Deel 100:45:46 – Deel 201:27:33 – Einde Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Presidential historian, Contributing Editor at TIME, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham is Executive Vice President and Executive Editor at Random House. Meacham's latest book, Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush, will be published by Random House on November 10, 2015. His book, American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House, was a New York Times bestseller. Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for biography in 2009, the book was cited as an “unlikely portrait of a not always admirable democrat, but a pivotal president, written with an agile prose that brings the Jackson saga to life.” His other New York Times bestsellers include Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship, exploring the relationship between the two great leaders who piloted the free world to victory in World War II, and American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations and of the executive board of the Society of American Historians, Meacham is a regular guest on “Morning Joe” and also occasionally appears on “Meet the Press,” “Charlie Rose,” and other broadcasts. He is editor-at-large of WNET Public Media, New York's public television station. After serving as Managing Editor of Newsweek for eight years, Meacham was responsible for all day-to-day editorial operations of the magazine as Editor from 2006 to 2010. He is a former editor of The Washington Monthly and began his career at The Chattanooga Times. Born in Chattanooga in 1969, Meacham was educated at St. Nicholas School, The McCallie School, and graduated from The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, with a degree summa cum laude in English Literature; he was salutatorian and elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Meacham is a communicant of St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, where he has served on the Vestry of the 180 year-old Episcopal parish. He is a former member of the Board of Trustees and of the Board of Regents of The University of the South, and currently a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Vanderbilt University. Meacham also serves on the Vestry of Trinity Church Wall Street and the Leadership Council of the Harvard Divinity School. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University in 2005 and also holds five other honorary doctorates. He lives in Nashville and in Sewanee with his wife and children.

Michael's conversation with historian Jon Meacham, on his book "Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush." Original airdate 11 November 2015. The book was published on 10 November 2015.

  On Thursday's Houston Matters: COVID-19 booster shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will become available for all Americans starting next month, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Peter Hotez of Baylor College of Medicine explains how boosters work, who needs one, and updates us the fourth wave of the virus. And Dr. Lara Shekerdemian of Texas Children's Hospital discusses how it's affecting children. Also this hour: With recent events in Afghanistan and Haiti in mind – along with other developments outside our borders – what could Houston do to be more engaged with the rest of the world? We talk it over with former Ambassador Michael Pelletier, executive director of the University of Houston Institute for Global Engagement. Then, we revisit our conversation with author and historian Jon Meacham about his biography Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush.

Check out the books mentioned in the show: The Man I Knew: The Amazing Story of George H. W. Bush's Post-Presidency by Jean Becker Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush by Jon Meacham And here is a link to our People magazine piece -- such a delight!

In the lead-up to the November 2016 elections, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham joined Dialogue host Marcia Franklin to talk about presidential character. Meacham talks with Franklin about the qualities he believes are essential to being a successful president, and the unique nature of the 2016 presidential race. An executive editor at Random House, Meacham is well-known for his appearances on political discussion programs. He started his journalistic career at the Chattanooga Times and rose to become the editor of Newsweek. Meacham was the speaker at the Idaho Humanities Council’s 2016 Distinguished Humanities Lecture in Boise. Meacham’s latest book is His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope with an afterword by John Lewis. His 2015 book Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush was a #1 New York Times bestseller. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 2009 for his book American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House. He’s also the author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship, and American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers and the Making of a Nation. Originally Aired: 10/20/2016 Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and visit the Dialogue website for more conversations that matter! 

On this episode of "All the Best," Sam LeBlond sits down with Pulitzer Prize winning author and presidential historian Jon Meacham. Listen as the two discuss Meacham’s close relationship with the Bush family, the making of "Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush," eulogizing the 41st president, and why he recently took the time to speak at the Democratic National Convention. To read the full transcript of this episode visit https://www.georgeandbarbarabush.org/podcast-transcript/. 

Jon Meacham, first and foremost is a friend. We were honored to have him speak at both my parents funerals this year and last year. He's also an amazing presidential biographer who's written about Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Franklin D Roosevelt, and my father, George H.W. Bush. And the truth is, he knows more about our family than, well, our family does. In this interview, Jon pulls out anecdotal stories which define the personalities and ways of being of our most memorable presidents. He even creates a recipe for the perfect leader based on a combination of four presidents and the traits of: intellectual curiosity, candor, empathy and humility. We learn that self care, mind body and spirit health, and relationships with families and friends is in a sense a reflection of our health as a nation. More From Jon Meacham Website: http://www.jonmeacham.com Book Highlights: Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush Songs of America: Patriotism, Protest, and the Music That Made a Nation The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels Twitter @jmeacham Facebook @meachamjon

In memory of President George H.W. Bush, the 41st president who passed away November 30th, 2018, we’re sharing a conversation with Jon Meachem, author of Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush. Ryan Lizza, then the Washington Correspondent at The New Yorker, moderated the conversation, held at the National Constitution Center in 2015. Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Today on The Neil Haley Show, The Total Tutor Neil Haley will interview New York Times Best Selling Pulitzer Prize-winning Author Jon Meacham. JON MEACHAM is a Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian. A contributing writer for The New York Times Book Review and a contributing editor of Time magazine, he is the author of theNew York Times bestsellers Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush, Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House, American Gospel, and Franklin and Winston. Meacham lives in Nashville, Tennessee. THE SOUL OF AMERICA The Battle for Our Better Angels by Jon Meacham, #1 New York Times bestselling author and winner of the Pulitzer Prize “The battle between the ideal and the real, between what's right and what's convenient, between the larger good and personal interest is the contest that unfolds in the soul of every American. The creed of which Myrdal and Schlesinger and others have long spoken can only find concrete expression once individuals in the arena choose to side with the angels. That is a decision that must come from the soul—and sometimes the soul's darker forces win out over its nobler ones. The message of Martin Luther King, Jr.—that we should be judged on the content of their character, not on the color of our skin—dwells in the American soul; so does the menace of the Ku Klux Klan. History hangs precariously in the balance between such extremes. Our fate is contingent on which element—that of hope or that of fear—emerges triumphant.”–Jon Meacham  

SOUL THE SOUL OF AMERICA Jon Meacham Puliter Prize Winning historian and Author in Discussion With Bill Maher- 5:7:18 8 PM CST  America and It's Better Angels and "The MagieR New Rule  Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Jon Meacham will discuss 'The Soul ... About the Author: Jon Meacham is a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and author of several New York Times bestsellers including Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House, and Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush. Meacham is also a visiting distinguished professor at Vanderbilt University, a contributing writer for The New York Times Book Review, and a fellow of the Society of American Historians. https://www.prnewswire.com/.../pulitzer-prize-winning-biographer-jon-meacham-will-... 7 days ago - WASHINGTON, May 4, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Jon Meacham will discuss his latest book, The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels at a National Press Club Headliners Book & Breakfast Event on Wednesday, June 20 at 8:00 a.m. in the club's ...

Nikolai DiPippa, Clinton School Director of Public Programs, sat down with Jon Meacham, who is executive editor and executive vice president at Random House, the largest trade book publisher in the world. He is the a former editor-in-chief of Newsweek, a contributing editor to Time magazine, editor-at-large of WNET, and a commentator on politics, history, and religious faith in America. Meacham won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for his previous book, American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House. In his new book, Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush, Meacham chronicles the life, thoughts, decisions, and emotions of George H. W. Bush, drawing on President Bush’s personal diaries, on the diaries of his wife, Barbara, and on extraordinary access to the forty-first president and his family.

Presidential historian, Contributing Editor at TIME, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham is Executive Vice President and Executive Editor at Random House, which recently published his new book Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush. Meacham paints an intimate and surprising portrait of an intensely private man who led the nation through tumultuous times. From the Oval Office to Camp David, from his study in the private quarters of the White House to Air Force One, from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the first Gulf War to the end of Communism, Destiny and Power charts the thoughts, decisions, and emotions of a modern president who may have been the last of his kind. This is the human story of a man who was, like the nation he led, at once noble and flawed. In this edition of Greta Talk, Meacham talks in-depth about the interviews he conducted with President George H. W. Bush over the course of nine years. He also reveals what he learned thanks to President Bush’s presidential and vice presidential audio diaries as well as the “unconditional access” Bush 41 and first lady Barbara Bush gave him. Meacham and the On the Record host even discuss how if Bush 41 hadn't taken a job sweeping floors in Texas after graduation he wouldn't have become president. And why does Greta Van Susteren say Bush 41 was her “worst interview ever”? Download and tune in to find out!

When Oliver Wendell Holmes talked about Roosevelt's first class temperament, he never explained why that was important.It didn’t explain how, for a future President presiding over victory in two wars in just one term, without braggadocio, might matter,or respecting those with disabilities and allowing it to become a civil rights issues mattered, or how respecting manners in the conduct of both public and private affairs might shape the destiny of a great nation.  Yet it is precisely that temperament, that George Herbert Walker Bush brought to the Presidency.  Imagine any of today’s candidates exercising similar temperament, or restraint or manners.  It would be a little like looking for the cool of Sinatra or Jesse Owens, in today’s  music or sports celebrities.All of this just might be an amusing dinner table conversation about days and behaviors gone by, if Jon Meacham, in his new biography show us so profoundly how these qualities matter in the conduct and outcome of public and international diplomacy Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush. My conversation with Jon Meacham: 

Jon Meacham is the author of the New York Times best-selling biography of President George Herbert Walker Bush, "Destiny and Power." Mr. Meacham was interviewed at a Washington Women Technology Network event by WWTN co-founder Tammy Haddad and Megan Murphy, Bloomberg DC Bureau Chief. Questions were also taken from the audience in the Gallatin Room of The Jefferson Hotel in Washington, DC on November 20, 2015.