Amazon.com description: Product Description: George Washington spoke of the 'Republican model of Government' as 'the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people'. At its heart was the presidency. As the nation grew strong, the presidency evolved into the world's mightiest office. Washington, as the first president, devoutly wished that the precedents he established 'be fixed on true principles'. Tempered by the times, each president has lent his talents and some have given their lives, to Washington's 'great experiment'. The profiles presented in The Presidents reflect how each president, in his own way has committed himself to Washington's first precedent: 'The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty'. This newly revised and re-designed book is published with the White House Historical Association. The important stories of the lives and administrations of each of the forty-three American presidents from George Washington to George W. Bush are illustrated by portraits in the White House collection. Gilbert Stuart's famous p