Overview

Two former staffers to President George H. W. Bush bring together the most harrowing and hilarious stories behind presidential events over the past sixty years--from the Rose Garden to Air Force One, foreign trips to the campaign trail--detailing the art of preparation that goes into these delicate, high stress operations and revealing how they have often been one step away from disaster. Featuring a foreword by Jon Meacham Don't Tell the President is a collection of the greatest tales of triumph and near-crisis in presidential advance. Behind every seamless campaign appearance and presidential affair lies the meticulous work of event planners and advance teams--the little-known professionals who transform political logistics into carefully choreographed performances. Here are illuminating first-hand accounts from dedicated employees who worked for every modern-day president from Lyndon Johnson to Barack Obama, a few First Ladies, a few vice presidents, and a few wannabes. Experience some of the most searing events from behind the scenes, including: Memorable moments from the campaign trail, including Lyndon Johnson's 1960 trip to Boston as John Kennedy's newly minted running mate and Barack Obama's first rally appearance with Oprah.Riveting accounts from the advance team with President Reagan on the day he was shot to the terrible hours on 9/11 from someone who was on Air Force One with President Bush.Those hectic and often historic foreign trips including Vice President George Bush's cloak-and-dagger trip in Communist Poland; President Reagan's ""Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall"" speech in Berlin; and President George W. Bush's secret trip to Iraq on Thanksgiving Day.And a few stories when the foreign dignitaries came to visit us, including Queen Elizabeth's famous ""talking purple hat"" speech on the South Lawn of the White House.And an all-star team of advance contributors - many who went on to be political figures themselves including former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates; radio host and CNN contributor Michael Smerconish; and former Senator Rob Portman. Also, a first-hand account from former Secret Service agent Barbara Riggs who had to deal with inappropriate advances of Manuel Noreiga.And yes, the regrettable and now infamous gaffes, when Bob Dole's campaign event turned into a photo op with Woody Woodpecker, Frankenstein, Charlie Chaplin, and Mae West; and when a pig relieved himself on Vice President George Bush on a farm in Iowa.Allowing us to witness presidential history and politics from a new angle, Don't Tell the President brings together the hilarious chaos of Veep and the grandeur of The West Wing. It is a memorable and at times laugh-out loud funny look at how many presidential events happen--and how many almost went awry.

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Jean Becker served as chief of staff for President George H. W. Bush for nearly twenty-five years. She is the editor of Pearls of Wisdom (with Barbara Bush) and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Man I Knew: The Amazing Story of George H. W. Bush's Post Presidency and Character Matters: And Other Life Lessons from George H. W. Bush. She also served as deputy press secretary to First Lady Barbara Bush and was a newspaper reporter for ten years, including four years at USA Today. Tom Collamore first met President George H.W. Bush in 1978 as his driver and became part of his inner circle of staffers. Tom served in various senior roles throughout the twelve years of President Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush's administrations and has been an advisor to the George and Barbara Bush Foundation for over twenty-five years. After government Tom enjoyed a long career as a senior corporate executive and trade association leader. He's the founder of Collamore Consulting Group, providing strategic counsel to CEO's of companies, associations and non-profits. He lives in Maryland with his wife Jacqueline and they are the proud parents of four grown children. Nan McNamara is an AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator and garnered the ""Best Audiobook of 2016"" distinction for her narration of Mister Monkey by Francine Prose. Her twenty-plus years as a professional actress on stage, television, and film translate into audiobook storytelling that AudioFile magazine calls ""richly observed,"" ""heartbreaking,"" and empowers her to ""smoothly shift to whatever character, time, or emotion she is portraying."" Nan has narrated nearly 100 titles in numerous genres. She is also the recipient of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award, LA Weekly Award, StageRaw Award, Robby Award, and Scenie Award for her numerous stage performances (including Wit, for which she shaved her head) and has recorded hundreds of voice-overs for radio/TV, video games, and promos. Nan's film/television work includes portraying powerhouse attorney Bonnie Pearl on Major Crimes, a recurring stint on Switched at Birth as Brenda Powers, having fun with Emmy winner Tony Hale in Not That Funny, being killed by Jamie Kennedy in the opening of Foreclosed with Marlee Matlin and Paul Sorvino, and being reunited with her two kidnapped children on Criminal Minds. Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, Nan received her bachelor's degree in theater (cum laude). Ever the optimist, one of her lifelong dreams is for the Minnesota Vikings to reach the Super Bowl. Actor Charles Constant's professional storytelling career began at the age of thirteen, when he became an Actors' Equity Association apprentice. After training in Chicago and London, he went on to appear onstage in theaters across the country. Charles was chosen by Mark Cuban to narrate his book How to Win at the Sport of Business, and his work on Into the Crossfire became an Audible Listener Favorite in February 2014. Publishers Weekly says that he provides ""strong"" narration and finds his voice to be ""deep and assertive."" Jon Meacham is a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and the author of several New York Times bestsellers, including three that have made their #1 bestsellers list. He is a contributing writer for the New York Times Book Review and a contributing editor of Time magazine, and he holds the Rogers Chair in the American Presidency at Vanderbilt University Tom Parks is an AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator who has also been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. He has been involved in recording audiobooks and voice-overs for over thirty years and through an eclectic range of projects. In addition to performing and directing, he is also an active musician, drumming in musical theater productions in the Midwest, and is in demand as a conference speaker.

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