According to Niccolo Machiavelli, leaders must always be prepared for change, even in violent and dramatic forms, in order to retain some control of their fate. This incisive text applies the Machiavellian philosophy to each American president, who must learn how to adapt to these changes and/or alter them in order to excel, or even to survive, politically. This edition includes new material on the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama as well as updated bibliographical entries. The Challenge of the American Presidency will be of interest to those who teach courses