Another great book about our first president. This book discloses his personality warts and all. He was not above taking the best when it was available. He was ambitious but also very careful to avoid becoming a monarch and voluntarily gave up power after the Revolutionary War and following his second term as president. His public service was done at the expense of his personal fortune as he was often away from his home for years at a time. He loved the company of the ladies but there is no evidence that he ever cheated on his wife. And, for those who dislike the tone of modern politics, we have nothing on the founding fathers who wrote anonymous pamphlets about each other and extensive editorials ripping on each other. Actually Washington never publicly ripped on his enemies but they certainly did not show him the same courtesy.
I've read several Washington books over the last year or so and I'm still struck about how many decisions got made by the first president that carry over into how we do things today. He was confident that the country would last awhile and conscious that he was blazing a trail. Still seems pretty amazing to me when I think of it in the historical context.
Don't be put off by the length of this book. It is split into 6 sections that you can read almost as individual volumes and then come back to later.
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