. >>> author david petrusa writes about the president. >> and harry truman goes to the white house andto eleanor roosevelt, can i pray for you? and she says, no, we need to pray for you. >> their campaign -- >> there are a lot of promises made. he said he would have to rent a very large hall, very much larger than this with us to get all the people that jack kennedy promised the vice presidency that year. >> and their ideas. >> calvin coolidge may have been the last jeffersonian, a man who believed strongly enough in the limits of governmental power and particularly federal power to resist the temptation to extend it. >> today on book tv, your questions and comments for david petrusa live on in-depth. also, middle east expert on the obama administration's response to the arab spring, afghanistan, iraq, and the israel/palestinian peace process. part of book tv this weekend on c-span 2. >>> you're watching american history tv on c-span 3. every weekend, hear historic speeches by national leaders and eyewitness accounts of events that shaped our nation and watch our series "american artif