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Article: Presidency; office that never stops changing. (Our Government)
- Article from:
- U.S. News & World Report
- Article date:
- January 28, 1985
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1985 All rights reserved. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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From the era of quill pens and powdered wigs to the age of nuclear power, the Presidency has helped mold the temper of the times-and has been molded by it.
As Ronald Reagan began his second term, his staying power in office dramatized a basic truth about the American Presidency: It is one of the most resilient political institutions in the world.
The last Chief Executive to serve two full terms, Dwight Eisenhower, was followed by a series of Presidents whose tenures were foreshortened by tragedy, scandal and outright defeat at the polls or the fear of it.
Vietnam and Watergate took their toll on the respect Americans traditionally had ...