Abstract
Presidents can win wars only when there are battles to be fought, they can quell domestic insurrections only when these uprisings occur, and they can reverse the effects of a depression only when such an economic downturn has taken place. Presidents can also implement sweeping policy changes only when Congress is predisposed to support their programs. Presidential success is closely tied to the opportunities that historical and political conditions offer. Nevertheless, these conditions do not fully determine how well a president performs in office. Presidents’ personal qualities, policy goals, and strategic and tactical decisions have a major impact on presidential performance. How presidents carry out their tasks, given the situational contexts that are present, influences the places they secure for themselves in history.1
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© 1999 Paul S. Herrnson
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Herrnson, P.S. (1999). Reflections on Clinton’s First Term. In: Herrnson, P.S., Hill, D.M. (eds) The Clinton Presidency. Southampton Studies in International Policy. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230389854_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230389854_9
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