Stories of the disastrous blunders of American presidents will show readers the inner workings of the White House and how some of our greatest leaders could make decisions that were terribly wrong. The fascinating stories are recounted as narratives and are as entertaining as they are shocking. The 23 stories, each about 10 pages in length, retell the histories behind bad presidential decisions. They are told in a real time narrative style, bringing readers inside the White House, introducing them to the main characters, exposing why these decisions were made, and describing the ill-fated aftermaths.

This edition published in 2018 by Crestline, an imprint of The Quarto Group - title page verso.

The Whiskey Rebellion : George Washington -- The Alien and Sedition Acts : John Adams -- The Embargo Acts : Thomas Jefferson -- The War of 1812 : James Madison -- The Trail of Tears : Andrew Jackson -- Repeal of the Missouri Compromise : Franklin Pierce -- The attempt to annex Santo Domingo : Ulysses S. Grant -- The Pullman strike : Grover Cleveland -- "A splendid little war" with Spain : William McKinley -- The punitive expedition into Mexico : Woodrow Wilson -- The Bonus Army : Herbert Hoover -- The internment of Japanese-Americans in World War II : Franklin D. Roosevelt -- The Bay of Pigs invasion : John F. Kennedy -- The Tonkin Gulf Resolution : Lyndon B. Johnson -- The bombing of Cambodia : Richard Nixon -- Watergate : Richard Nixon -- The Iranian hostage crisis : Jimmy Carter -- The energy crisis and "malaise" : Jimmy Carter -- The Iran-Contra Affair : Ronald Reagan -- War in Iraq : George W. Bush.