{"product_id":"9781418570743","title":"The Warm Bucket Brigade: The Story of the American Vice Presidency","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat Do You Know about America's Vice Presidents?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(The official quiz that you, the reader, should take right now to determine if you need this book)\u003c\/p\u003e \u003col\u003e \u003cli\u003eHow many vice presidents went on to become president?\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eHow many sitting presidents died or were forced from office?\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eHow many vice presidents shot men while in office?\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eWho was the better shot?\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eWho was the first vice president to assume power when a president died?\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eWhy did he return official letters without reading them?\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eWhat vice president was almost torn limb form limb in Venezuela?\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eWhich former VP was tried for treason for trying to start his own empire in the Southwest?\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eHow many vice presidents were assassinated?\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eIn the next presidential election, should you worry about the candidates for vice president?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e \u003cp\u003e(Bonus challenge: For extra points, name the men that the vice presidents shot!)\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSee answers below. No cheating!\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe vice presidency isn't worth \"a bucket of warm spit\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThat's the prudish version of what John Nance Garner had to say about the office--several years after serving as VP under FDR. Was he right?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe vice presidency is one of America's most historically complicated, intriguing, and underappreciated public offices. And Jeremy Lott's sweeping, hilarious, and insightful history introduces readers to the unusual and sometimes shadowy cast of characters that have occupied it:\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eAaron Burr, the only VP tried for treason\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eJohn Tyler, president without a party\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eAndrew Johnson, defiant drunkard\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eThomas Marshall, who should have been president\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eRichard Nixon, underdog and daredevil\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eGerald Ford, icon of the 1970s\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eAl Gore, the most frustrated man in America\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eAnd, of course, the real Dick Cheney\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003eWith crisp prose, Lott focuses on their bitter rivalries and rank ambitions, their glorious victories and tragic setbacks. At the end of hundreds of historical vignettes, interviews, and pilgrimages to obscure places, Lott concludes that the vice presidency is an invaluable political institution that tends to frustrate the ambitions of America's most ambitious politicans--an ungainly launch pad for future political success and a drunk tank for those who would imbibe too deeply of power. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAnswers to Quiz!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003col\u003e \u003cli\u003eFourteen of the forty-three presidents were vice president\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eIt's happened eight times so far\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eAaron Burr and Dick Cheney\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eAaron Burr\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eJohn Tyler\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eBecause he insisted on being called \"president,\" not \"vice president\" or \"acting president\"\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eRichard Nixon\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eAaron Burr (him again!)\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eNone, though an assassin was hired to kill Andrew Johnson\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eSee answers one and two and then ask yourself, \"Does America feel lucky?\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnswers to bonus challenge: Alexander Hamilton and Harry Whittington\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eScore:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e0-4 You are a novice who should probably buy this book\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e5-8 You are a history buff who should love this book\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e9-12 You are a smart cookie who should appear on Jeopardy--and buy this book for show prep\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nelson, Thomas, Inc.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47141201707248,"sku":"9781418570743","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781418570743_p0.jpg?v=1769898314","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781418570743","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}