john: arthur schlesinger called me on the phone and said, you're a tennessean. james k.k was a tennessean. why don't you write a biography for this series that times books is doing on the presidents? and i said, arthur, i don't have time. i'm retired. he said, i want you to do one thing. he said alan nevins has done a

arthur schlesinger called me on the phone and said, youre a tennessean. polk was a tennessean. why dont you write a biography for this series that times books is doing on the presidents? and i said, arthur, i dont have time. im retired. he said, i want you to do one thing. he said, alan nevins (ph) has done a paperback that excerpts his diary, his presidential diary. just take the weekend and read it and tell me no. and i read the excerpts from the diary, and i couldnt say no. i was fascinated by the man. >> did you know much about him before you started on this? you know, i knew he was a tennessean. im a tennessean. i knew that his grave is behind the capitol. there is no marker in nashville, except a plaque on the side of a dirty motel wall. his old home place in columbia is preserved, and id been there many times and have been there since. but i knew virtually nothing about him and almost nothing that was good. i mean, his reputation as a result of what was done to him during his presidency over the mexican-american war left him a bad reputation, a reputation as a warmonger.

. >> this series, you mention arthur schlesinger and times books. are they doing all 42 -- >> as of now, there are 22 i think listed. i hope they do them all. i know that i had some conversations with my editor robin dennis who is a terrific editor and during the course of the writing and the research, i got into the issues involving his secretary of state james buchanan who became president, of course. and in discussing it with the editor, she said, well, i probably let -- had better let the author of the book know where you're going with this because we'll see where he comes down and i never felt -- followed up on that so i just don't -- i just don't know where that is going to go or how that is going to come out. >> when did you start it. >> two years. it took two years to do. >> and what lengths did you go to make sure you had the right stuff. where did you go? >> i went everywhere i could to possibly find sources. the best stuff is in the diary. and in his papers. at the university of tennessee, there is a historian, dr. wayne cutler who is the

and cut to october 1962, what arthur schlesinger called the most dangerous moment in human history, anddy had learned the lessons and we came through the missile crisis not least because kennedy had self-evidently been learning and had been willing to admit when he was wrong. >> and that, ladies and gentlemen in the audience, is why we invite our friend jon meacham on our broadcast from time to time, and after a couple of days like those we have seen. jon, thank you, friend, as always. >>> when we continue here tonight, as we've said many times this hour, testing is everything. testing is also tough to get still and still largely dependent on where you live and how much money you make. a look at that fraught issue when we come back. when managing diabetes you can't always stop for a fingerstick. with the freestyle libre 14 day system, a continuous glucose monitor, you don't have to. with a painless, one-second scan you can check your glucose with a smart phone or reader so you can stay in the moment. no matter where you are or what you're doing. ask your doctor for a prescription for th

richard: along with arthur schlesinger, there was a preeminent political scientist in the mid 20th century named clayton rossiter. in 1951, rossiter wrote an essay on the presidency in which he described the president as a kind of magnificent lion who was more or less free to roam around the reservation at will, as long as he did not egregiously offend congress or the public. that was an essay perfectly attuned to the times, written in the shadow of both roosevelts, wilson, truman, presidents that were very assertive, who some would say imaginative in interpreting the range of executive power. but of course, they had also governed in times of crisis. any reader of this book is going to take away just how evolutionary the office of the presidency is. one of the real challenges that confronts anyone ranking the presidents -- for example, we all agree that economic management in the modern context is a determining factor. in the 19th century, presidents were not expected in any way. james monroe presided over the first great depression in american history, and he was reelected with all but on

>> arthur schlesinger called me on the phone and said, you're a tennessean. james k.olk was a tennessean. why don't you write a biography for this series that times books is doing on the presidents? and i said, arthur, i don't have time. i'm retired.