368 a cknowledgments
with Tim Bent of Oxford University Press. Recognizing that as a recov-
ering scholarly writer I still occasionally relapsed into dense academic
prose, Tim has used his deft editorial touch to help me stay clean. We
both know I have to take it one day at a time.
Others at Oxford have assisted in the editorial, production, and
publicity phases of bringing this book project to completion. Patterson
Lamb has been an attentive and eff ective copy editor. I am grateful for
the help of Keely Latcham, Lana Goldsmith, Lora Friedenthal, and
Tara Kennedy.
My greatest debt goes to my family. Even as an author writes, life
goes on all around, sadness mixed with joy. I lost both of my parents
as I was writing, but I spent many hours talking over my ideas with
my father during his last year and he was able to read the conclusion
before he passed. On the happier side, my wife and our two children
joined in this project from the beginning. Th ey have lived (that is, put
up) with both the book and its author for several years, and done so
with patience, humor, and many excellent suggestions. I thought I had
mastered the fi ne art of appearing to pay attention to them while I was
writing; in reality, they were not fooled, and they became accustomed
to repeating themselves until I actually did tune in. My daughter Sara
Polsky, a journalist and very talented wordsmith, read each chapter
and gave me careful editorial comments. I discussed many of the mil-
itary aspects of wartime leadership with my son Alex Polsky, who was
recently commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army and is
scheduled to be in training to become an infantry offi cer when this
book appears. Th rough Alex I met a number of his fellow ROTC cadets
from the Hoya Battalion in Washington, D.C. My respect for their
dedication has increased my appreciation for the anxiety a president
faces when he asks members of the armed forces to put their lives on
the line. When I think of my wife Beth Morgenstern, my partner in
all good things, I wish that I had the gifts of the poet or songwriter to
express all she has meant to me, given me, and shared with me. Sadly,
I don’t. But I do know how blessed I have been to share life’s ups and
downs with a truly remarkable woman.