This new book systematically examines the first terms of every president from FDR to Clinton and assesses the leadership style, the policy agenda, and the political opportunity of each. Each president's success in effecting landmark legislation and other policy change is measured and evaluated. The authors assess how skillful each president was in the art of presidential leadership, what strategies and tactics they employed to achieve their goals, and the policy legacies left by each.

Each president brings to the White House a distinct set of personal characteristics and a preferred leadership style, but just how much have individual presidents shaped domestic policy? This book systematically examines the first terms of every president from Franklin Delano Roosevelt to William Jefferson Clinton.