Monday, April 10, 2006

Endless Follow-Up

"A onetime personal aide of President Truman once put the matter to me in this way: 'The most startling thing a new President discovers is that, in the world of the Presidency, giving an order does not end the matter. Nothing gets done except by endless follow-up, endless kissing and coaxing, endless threatening and compelling. ... And they're all testing you. How much can they get away with? How much authority can they take? How much authority do you want them to have?'"

The Making of the President: 1960
Theodore H. White

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