"Once again delivering their comprehensive--and accessible--analysis of the presidency, Pika and Maltese bring their trusted core text completely up-to-date. Never losing sight of the historical foundations of the office, the authors maintain a delicate balance as they examine the presidency through a modern lens. A solid foundation for any presidency course, the eighth edition features new data and scholarship in addition to coverage of: the 2010 midterm election and preparation for the 2012 election; Obama's relations with the Republican House; the appointments of Sotomayor and Kagan to the Supreme Court; Obama's use of new media; such major policies as the stimulus bill, financial regulation and the debt ceiling, health care reform, and the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," among others; U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and the build-up in Afghanistan, the killing of Osama bin Laden, the ban on enhanced interrogation techniques, the START treaty, and reactions to the Arab Spring."--Publisher description.