前总统乔治·W·布什、巴拉克·奥巴马和比尔·克林顿参与了一项名为"In Pursuit"的新项目，为美国建国250周年撰写关于总统的评论文章[1]。该项目由美国档案馆馆长Colleen Shogan策划，涵盖43位美国总统和30位第一夫人的文章[1]，旨在从历史中汲取关于权力使用、民主制度和总统诚信的经验教训[1]。
布什在其文章中写道："我们的第一任总统本可以保持全能，但他两次选择了放弃。这样做，他为所有总统树立了一个标准。"[1]麦克克里斯托尔将军的文章则警示，"弯曲机构向个人权力倾斜的诱惑不是格兰特时代独有的。我们的未来仍然取决于我们的领导人是否选择法律而非忠诚。"[1]虽然项目未明确提及唐纳德·特朗普，但这些文章隐含地反映了对现代权力运用的担忧[1]。
项目覆盖乔·拜登和特朗普以外的所有总统[1]，文章按时间顺序每周发布至12月[1]，迄今已获得超过100万次Substack累计浏览次数[1]。
Former Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton have joined an initiative called "In Pursuit" to write commentary essays about American presidents in advance of the nation's 250th anniversary [1]. The project, organized by National Archives Director Colleen Shogan, encompasses articles on 43 U.S. presidents—excluding Joe Biden and Donald Trump—along with pieces on 30 first ladies, drawing on historical perspectives to extract lessons for contemporary governance [1].
While Trump is not explicitly mentioned in the initiative, the essays implicitly address modern concerns about the exercise of power, democratic institutions, and presidential integrity [1]. In his contribution, Bush reflected on the precedent set by George Washington, writing that the nation's first president could have retained absolute authority but chose twice to relinquish it, thereby establishing a standard for all succeeding presidents [1]. Similarly, General Stanley McChrystal wrote of the enduring temptation for institutions to concentrate power in individual hands, noting that "the future of our nation still depends on whether our leaders choose law over loyalty"—a concern not unique to the era of President Ulysses S. Grant [1].
The "In Pursuit" project has accumulated over one million cumulative views on Substack [1]. Articles are being released chronologically on a weekly schedule through December [1]. Notably, Shogan was terminated without cause by Trump in February 2025 [1].