Shadow Presidents

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Over the years there were quite few individuals who were rumoured or believed to actually govern without being President.  "Shadow President", "Real President" etc.

Some notable instances:

1. First Lady Edith Wilson, after President Woodrow Wilson suffered a debilitating stroke in late 1919.

2. Sherman Adam, who was the Chief of Staff to President Eisenhower (who liked to delegate powers to his aides) and, arguably, the most powerful one. There was a popular joke back in 1950s:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

3. About Ike again: some argued that he essentially abdicated foreign policy to his Secretary of State (Dulles) and domestic affairs to the Senate Majority Leader (LBJ).

4. It's widely believed (and well documented) that during last months of Nixon's Presidency it was Alexander Haig who ran the government, with President being preoccupied with the Watergate scandal.

5. Donald Regan was another example of powerful Chief of Staff (1985-1987) and his position was frequently compared to one enjoyed by Prime Minister in other political systems. When President Reagan (another one who liked to delegate) was briefly out of power during surgery, Vice President Bush was formally the Acting President, but media considered that Regan ran the show.

6. Ah yes, Dick Cheney. To some critics, he was President in all but name.


Any other historical examples? Discuss

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

Alexander Hamilton

[Rooney]

Alexander Haig held a great deal of power as Nixon's chief of staff from May 1973 to August 1974. He told a Congressional delegation which visited the White House in summer 1973 that he "was effectively the president." He and Kissinger played an interesting game of political chess over both Nixon's resignation and how to handle the White House tapes. Both men were concerned that Nixon's fall would bring about a clipping of the imperial presidency and cause the power in D.C. to shift towards Congress.

Haig was also concerned that his activities as Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs would come out in the taping system. In this Pentagon level position Haig served as the "inside source" on national security news for the Radford-Moorer spy ring. Yeoman Radford and Admiral Moorer worked with Haig to spy on Nixon/Kissinger and report their workings to the press. The hope of this neoconservative cabal was that they could topple the Nixon foreign policy through embarrassing press leaks and black mail. Radford actually stole over 5,000 documents with the help of Haig. Haig was able to use his pull as White House Chief of Staff to stop certain Pentagon documents from being released and also helped keep a majority of the Nixon White House tapes silent. Had it been known that he had aided two officers of the U.S. navy in stealing confidential documents concerning India/Pakistan affairs Haig may well have been charged with a felony.

Haig used his power in the damaged Nixon Administration to cover his own ass and also to control a president who was careening out of control. That may well be the very definition of a "shadow president."