MY PRESIDENTIAL LIFE

Advance work for presidents is always demanding but never dull, and Swift describes it all in this colorful account.

To make summit meetings or presidential speeches happen, there has to be a massive supporting architecture of secret machinery. It’s only noticeable if something goes awry, and people like Swift ensure that it doesn’t. The author worked on advance teams for Reagan and both Bushes, combining the skills of juggler, logistics expert, and firefighter. “There is simply too much to be done in too little time,” he writes. It was up to him and his team “to bring some semblance of order to chaos that looked good on the planners’ charts but was in reality an invitation to worldwide embarrassment if anything went wrong.” Swift started as an organizer for George H.W. Bush in his failed 1980 campaign and continued working for him when Bush became vice president, after which he made the transition to Reagan’s team. The author recounts a wealth of interesting behind-the-scenes stories about mayhem that was transformed into smooth success at the last moment, despite pompous local officials, terrorist threats, and even overenthusiastic crowds. Security concerns and bugged hotel rooms were always a challenge, but even the details of the president’s attire had to be checked and rechecked, as journalists are always looking for anything that could be given a negative spin. Swift points out that the presidents were usually easygoing and appreciative of the work of the advance team, although some of the people around them displayed the arrogance that can come with life in the upper echelons of politics. Refreshingly, the author narrates his intriguing career without rancor or self-aggrandizement, providing an entertaining read about what happens behind the curtain.

Swift has tales to tell and secrets to spill, and he does it with aplomb and humor.