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Synopsis
In this study of the first month of the Gerald Ford administration, journalist Barry Werth relates how, following the ignominious departure of President Nixon, the new president was undermined by the jockeying for power of the Oval Office inner circle; Werth provides telling sketches of those famous then (Kissinger, Haig) and now (Rumsfeld, Cheney). By reshuffling the cards and acting decisively, Ford basically tried to rewrite the script--and he did, up to a point. But he also wanted to be popular, and even his own party was soon unhappy with him. Ford's sincere, though stumbling, effort to remain in command underscores the limits of presidential power.
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