Statecraft and Stagecraft – American Political Life in the Age of Personality, Second Edition

With a new Foreword from Robert Schmuhl

In the second edition of Statecraft and Stagecraft, Robert Schmuhl includes a chapter on the Persian Gulf War and the 1992 presidential campaign to his provocative exploration of the involvement of the media in our public life.

“Schmuhl . . . describes how the telegenic presidency of Ronald Reagan changed the American political scene. . . . It documents the sad way in which the electronic age, which is enhanced by smaller cameras and more sophisticated satellite equipment every year, is thinning out whatever substance was left in politics. But Schmuhl is neither preachy nor alarmist. His style is beautifully clear and enlightening.” —New York Daily News

“Schmuhl writes in an interesting, entertaining style.  His book needs to be read—especially by politicians.” —Choice

“In a short, accessible and entertaining sequence of essays, Schmuhl . . . deals with the interplay between politics and modern communication, between substance and image.” —Chicago Tribune

“On the mysterious art of modern presidential leadership, Robert Schmuhl’s Statecraft and Stagecraft truly brims with unconventional wisdom. Any politician who wants to climb to the White House, and once there to lead the nation, should first read Statecraft and Stagecraft. In the public theater, which is contemporary American presidential politics, Schmuhl forcefully reminds those of us with press passes that we are not forgiven. He makes the political press confront the role we now play and the responsibility we cannot escape.” —Mark Shields, syndicated columnist and television commentator