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Leadership in the Oval Office, from FDR to Barack Obama
"CBS This Morning" co-anchor John Dickerson’s essay on presidential leadership is based on a series of Yahoo News interviews with historians.
Lyndon B. Johnson: Moral clarity on civil rights
Historian Jonathan Darman examines deciding to pursue civil rights legislation over objections of fellow Southern Democrats.
George W. Bush: Standing up for tolerance after 9/11
Author Peter Baker discusses Bush’s push against anti-Muslim hatred and discrimination after the attacks on Sept. 11. 2001.
Jimmy Carter: Staking his reputation on a dream of Mideast peace
Jimmy Carter decided to stake his reputation on a dream and personally broker a peace deal between Egypt and Israel.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Calling a ‘bank holiday’ for a collapsing economy
Historian?Doris Kearns Goodwin says the "bank holiday" is Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s defining moment of presidential leadership.
John F. Kennedy: Cutting a deal with Khrushchev to save the world
Author Michael Dobbs discusses JFK's defining moment of presidential leadership: preventing nuclear war with Russia.
Barack Obama: Going for broke in the bin Laden raid
Author Peter Bergen discusses Barack Obama’s defining moment of leadership.
Dwight D. Eisenhower: Facing down the Soviets — and the military-industrial complex
Historian Evan Thomas details Eisenhower's decision to push back on the military-industrial complex during the Cold War.
Gerald Ford: Doing the wrong thing for the right reasons
Journalist Barry Werth discusses the 38th president's defining moment of presidential leadership: his pardon of Richard Nixon.
George H.W. Bush: Breaking a pledge, doing the right thing on taxes
Historian Jon Meacham examines Bush's costly decision to defy the GOP base and break his "no new taxes" pledge.
Ronald Reagan: Setting back the ‘doomsday clock’ of nuclear war
Historian Lou Cannon looks at Reagan's decision to defy his base and pursue nuclear disarmament with Mikhail Gorbachev.
Harry S. Truman: A courageous stand on integrating the armed forces
Author Cornelius Bynum explores Truman’s desegregation of the U.S. military, which went against public opinion and military leaders.
Bill Clinton: Taking on the NRA to pass assault-weapons ban
Author David Maraniss discusses Clinton's defining moment of presidential leadership: getting an assault-rifle ban through Congress.
Richard Nixon: A Nixon-goes-to-China moment
Historian Evan Thomas examines Richard Nixon's defining moment of presidential leadership: initiating a relationship with China.