| Review of: | Innocent until Nominated: the breakdown of the presidential appointments process edited by G. Calvin Mackenzie |
|---|---|
| Reviewed By: | Esther C. Jubb |
| Reviewed in: | Political Studies Review |
| Date accepted online: | 04/03/2004 |
| Published in print: | Volume 1, Issue 2, Pages 196-301 |
North America
This edited collection of essays examines the contemporary context of the US presidential appointments process. As the American presidency has become more institutionalized, the importance of providing administrative support to the president has become paramount. Putting in place an administration, finding suitable candidates and fulfilling the demands of competing presidential constituencies, is a Herculean task. The process has been made more challenging by a changing and highly partisan political environment in which, as the title of this work suggests, scrutiny of the individual has reached new depths.
Each chapter considers the appointments process from a slightly different perspective, providing a self-contained analysis that allows the reader to select areas of specific interest. However, the book does work well as a whole and holistic text, and there is a natural progression to the chapters which is not always present in edited collections. Of particular note are the chapters by G. Calvin Mackenzie and James Pfiffner. They provide the general reader with a useful introduction to the nature of the political environment of the appointments process and the role of the process within the US presidency. Terry Sullivan's chapter examining the actual investigation of presidential nominees reveals the full extent and depth of interrogation that faces any potential presidential nominee, and raises the question of whether even working for the president is worth the ordeal.
As an examination of the overall state of the presidential appointments process,