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War And The American Presidency
The two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning historian explores the war in Iraq, the presidency of George W. Bush, and the future of democracy warning readers about the dangers of America's policy shift from containment to preventive war, discussing Bush's revival of the "imperial presidency," and urging for continued patriotism in the face of dissent. 70,000 first printing.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2004
About the author
Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.
670 books227 followersArthur Meier Schlesinger Jr., born Arthur Bancroft Schlesinger, was a Pulitzer Prize recipient and American historian and social critic whose work explored the liberalism of American political leaders including Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Robert F. Kennedy. He served as special assistant and "court historian" to President Kennedy from 1961 to 1963. He wrote a detailed account of the Kennedy Administration, from the transition period to the president's state funeral, titled A Thousand Days. In 1968, he actively supported the presidential campaign of Senator Robert F. Kennedy until Kennedy's assassination in the Ambassador Hotel on June 5, 1968, and wrote the biography Robert Kennedy and His Times several years later.
He popularized the term "imperial presidency" during the Nixon administration by writing the book The Imperial Presidency.
His father was also a well-known historian.
He popularized the term "imperial presidency" during the Nixon administration by writing the book The Imperial Presidency.
His father was also a well-known historian.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 5, 2020
Wonderfully written short book, really a collection of separate essays rather than as the title suggests a single subject book. Much of what the author writes about is indeed wonderfully argued, although there are a couple of duds such as the chapter about the reform of the electoral college. However, the opening chapters about how the president under Bush appropriated the power to start wars without the blessing of congress. How historical precedent has been hijacked in this regard is indeed interesting. Perhaps the most interesting bit however is the chapter on 'has democracy a future?' where he questions the whole end of history arguments and suggests that democracy is a relatively recent phenomenon and is seriously under challenge by the twin threats of both globalization and technology. Page 112 in this regard about how unbridled capitalism threatens the democratic institutions of society is prescient in light of recent events.
July 21, 2013
Schlesinger is angry and it's wonderful to behold. The man can turn a phrase and his tone throughout is one of restrained impatience tempered with the long view. He reminds us of the limits of power and the need for humility. Impetuousness and decisiveness are not the same; Bush was calculating, says Schlesinger, not impetuous. But he was also arrogant, harbored no doubts about his mission, and believed he was called by God "for such a time as this." That's a lethal combination. Schlesinger believes democracy will survive but will have to make it's case over and over in the coming years. The American presidency will continue to shape the world's perception of these ideals. Bush's war may have set back that perception for years to come.
January 6, 2009
This book uses history to make the case against the invasion of Iraq and the powers wielded by President Bush. Schlesinger was an admirer of great Democratic presidents, and quotes Wilson in saying, "This nation originated in the sharpest sort of criticism of public policy.... We have forgotten the very principle of our origin if we have forgotten how to object, how to resist, how to agitate, how to pull down and build up."
July 30, 2011
Come on - it's Schlesinger. Very quick read of Schlesinger's view of the changing role of the President's use of force. Focuss is placed on the modern president and a emergence of an Imperial power to the "preventive" theory of force. As always Schlesinger states his views, but does so in a way to allow the reader to develop their own views. Establishes a good history of a changing of the guard from Congressional declarations of war to resolutions to war power acts, etc.
July 3, 2009
This a fine and thoughtful book on American history which connects it with current and recent problems. I published a longer review which is available from the publisher's web pages.
February 15, 2013
A crucial perspective on the changing dynamics within the institution of the American Presidency.
September 5, 2016
Interesting take on many events. It is dated now so it has lost some of its punch.
July 5, 2026
A second afterword to The Imperial Presidency.
March 9, 2026
I will update this once finished. I have currently reached p/72 and was sorely tempted to bin this mini manifesto. Although Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. is a well-known figure, his acerbic leftist screeds are tiring—his persistent ad hominem attacks border on fanatical lunacy. Although the targets of his attacks do not belong to my list of admired heroes, his use of vengeance and loaded language undermines any perceived legitimacy he may have claimed. If he were still around today, he frequently went out of his way to employ abject ad hominem attacks. he would, no doubt, be in the front lines of anti-ICE anarchists, dragging his feeble carcass about.
Okay, it is a wrap... BUT, it was a very close call indeed. Schlesinger and his opinionated tripe were destined for the nearest trash bin, yet I forced myself through his leftist screed. It is rare that I have encountered such a biased and pompous writer who considered himself and was considered by others to be a legitimate academic.
Having served in Iraq during the war, I had no particular fondness for the policies of the Bush administration, but I did not go off the deep end when it came to articulating my position. Schlesinger had no such qualms and frequently went out of his way to solemnly abjure any sort of religious convictions by attacking Christianity full force. Again, I am not a perfect model of Christian piety, but I know a zealous anti-Christian when I read one. Schlesinger was a die-hard, dyed-in-the-wool liberal Democrat professing to be an objective (ish) academic.
The current title is mostly worthless, except to brainwashed liberal pundits, who may find value in it due to their ideological biases, while many others see it as lacking in substance and critical analysis. In retrospect, If I had the choice between reading schlesinger and having a tooth pulled, I'd be missing several molars by now. The man was a pompous, self-righteous buffoon in the way that only die-hard academics can be. The beliefs of such individuals border on the same zealotry as that which they outwardly condemn.
I detested this, and it proved to be a challenge to endure. This being said, there were thankfully a few moments of insightful lucidity—though they were few and far between:
A quick rundown from where I was seated:
The preface focuses primarily on a comparison of Bush Senior's multilateralism vs. Bush Jr.'s unilateralism.
PP 40 - 41 The author uses loaded language, being particularly fond of the term "loonies." Cheap shots from an Ivory tower armchair strategist.
p.55 anti-Reagan rants, while he charges to the defense of a corrupt and immoral Clinton administration.
p.Highly subjective observations without empirical foundation
P.80 attacks the US AG for the umpteenth time in his screed
p.81 Use of vulgar metaphors to underscore his weak position.
... and the list is endless. It becomes a series of tirades ad nauseam and lopsided analysis.
In the last few pages, he unleashes hand his pent-up vitriol and spews his bile;
He resorts to implied causality to malign religion in general and Christianity in particular.
On page 162 the writer infers a causation between Christian fundamentalists, what he refers to as "the infection" and a supposed plot against women and Jews. in on of his most egregious tirades, he asserts that there was a fundamentalist cabal seeking to take over the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, while deviously associating it via inferences to the rapes of female cadets. simply appalling tactics.
In another instance, on page 164, he subtly aligns George W. Bush with Osama bin Laden.
As rare as it is for me to award a 5 star review, it is even more rare for me to provide a 1 star review. This particular title will have the dubious distinction of featuring on my "toilet tissue" shelf.
Recommendation? Not even if you are on a desert isle and there is only one book available.
Okay, it is a wrap... BUT, it was a very close call indeed. Schlesinger and his opinionated tripe were destined for the nearest trash bin, yet I forced myself through his leftist screed. It is rare that I have encountered such a biased and pompous writer who considered himself and was considered by others to be a legitimate academic.
Having served in Iraq during the war, I had no particular fondness for the policies of the Bush administration, but I did not go off the deep end when it came to articulating my position. Schlesinger had no such qualms and frequently went out of his way to solemnly abjure any sort of religious convictions by attacking Christianity full force. Again, I am not a perfect model of Christian piety, but I know a zealous anti-Christian when I read one. Schlesinger was a die-hard, dyed-in-the-wool liberal Democrat professing to be an objective (ish) academic.
The current title is mostly worthless, except to brainwashed liberal pundits, who may find value in it due to their ideological biases, while many others see it as lacking in substance and critical analysis. In retrospect, If I had the choice between reading schlesinger and having a tooth pulled, I'd be missing several molars by now. The man was a pompous, self-righteous buffoon in the way that only die-hard academics can be. The beliefs of such individuals border on the same zealotry as that which they outwardly condemn.
I detested this, and it proved to be a challenge to endure. This being said, there were thankfully a few moments of insightful lucidity—though they were few and far between:
A quick rundown from where I was seated:
The preface focuses primarily on a comparison of Bush Senior's multilateralism vs. Bush Jr.'s unilateralism.
PP 40 - 41 The author uses loaded language, being particularly fond of the term "loonies." Cheap shots from an Ivory tower armchair strategist.
p.55 anti-Reagan rants, while he charges to the defense of a corrupt and immoral Clinton administration.
p.Highly subjective observations without empirical foundation
P.80 attacks the US AG for the umpteenth time in his screed
p.81 Use of vulgar metaphors to underscore his weak position.
... and the list is endless. It becomes a series of tirades ad nauseam and lopsided analysis.
In the last few pages, he unleashes hand his pent-up vitriol and spews his bile;
He resorts to implied causality to malign religion in general and Christianity in particular.
On page 162 the writer infers a causation between Christian fundamentalists, what he refers to as "the infection" and a supposed plot against women and Jews. in on of his most egregious tirades, he asserts that there was a fundamentalist cabal seeking to take over the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, while deviously associating it via inferences to the rapes of female cadets. simply appalling tactics.
In another instance, on page 164, he subtly aligns George W. Bush with Osama bin Laden.
As rare as it is for me to award a 5 star review, it is even more rare for me to provide a 1 star review. This particular title will have the dubious distinction of featuring on my "toilet tissue" shelf.
Recommendation? Not even if you are on a desert isle and there is only one book available.
September 23, 2016
"The war on Iraq meant an overwhelming diversion of attention, resources, troops, and military might from the war on terrorism."
War and the American Presidency (2004) is one of the last works by the famed historian, two-time winner of both Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. He states in the Foreword that the aim of his book is to investigate "the relationship between the Iraq adventure and the national past," yet the finished work offers more and - at the same time - not quite as much as the author promises.
The first chapter presents a brief history of the American doctrine of unilateralism in foreign policy and its connections to the isolationist tendencies always popular in this country. The so-called Bush Doctrine (G.W. Bush) and its consequences are investigated in the chapter entitled Eyeless in Iraq. Mr. Schlesinger suggests that the doctrine - which amounts to relying on preventive war rather than on containment and deterrence - decisively contributed to the failure in containing terrorism. The author then returns to one of his favorite research topics - the concept of "imperial presidency" that he introduced with his well-known book under that very title - and points out to similar aspects of the W's presidency. The chapter contains some hilarious material about quite likely the most incompetent Attorney General in the history of this country, John Ashcroft, but the author also offers quite serious discussion about the Patriot Act.
The final four chapters of this short book seem a little disconnected from the previous material and they function better as separate essays. The author asks "whether a democratic people has a moral obligation to terminate dissent when the nation is at war." The answer, based on American history, is a resounding No, but I wish the author spent more time on investigating the meaning of patriotism. Chapter 5, How to Democratize American Democracy, where Mr. Schlesinger characterizes the American electoral system as a "subversion of democracy" and suggests its technical improvements, only marginally belongs in the book. On the other hand, the next chapter, about the future of democracy, offers insights worth of a much deeper examination than the author is willing to provide: he suggests that religious fanaticism is the "breeding place for the greatest current threat to civilization, which is terrorism."
The book was published a bit too early for the author to notice perhaps even a greater threat to democracy - the emergence of Internet and the consequent devaluation and polarization of information. The last chapter - after the author debunks some basic tenets of Marxism - offers a perspective on "inscrutability of history," and makes an important point that history is indeed inscrutable, but only in the short run.
Other than the lack of consistent focus the book suffers from occasionally incomplete reasoning as evidenced, for instance, by missing connections between anecdotes and stories from the past and the categorical conclusions that the author offers. I am enumerating the weaknesses that I perceive, but - of course - this is a highly recommended work, a must read for everybody interested in history and philosophy of politics. Also, perhaps unfortunately, I am a relativist when rating books and I use tougher criteria for authors who had written great books before. Thus, if this were a work of a fresh Ph.D. in political history, it would likely warrant four stars. I do not believe that as the work of a highly celebrated author, this book deserves such enthusiasm.
Three and a quarter stars.
War and the American Presidency (2004) is one of the last works by the famed historian, two-time winner of both Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. He states in the Foreword that the aim of his book is to investigate "the relationship between the Iraq adventure and the national past," yet the finished work offers more and - at the same time - not quite as much as the author promises.
The first chapter presents a brief history of the American doctrine of unilateralism in foreign policy and its connections to the isolationist tendencies always popular in this country. The so-called Bush Doctrine (G.W. Bush) and its consequences are investigated in the chapter entitled Eyeless in Iraq. Mr. Schlesinger suggests that the doctrine - which amounts to relying on preventive war rather than on containment and deterrence - decisively contributed to the failure in containing terrorism. The author then returns to one of his favorite research topics - the concept of "imperial presidency" that he introduced with his well-known book under that very title - and points out to similar aspects of the W's presidency. The chapter contains some hilarious material about quite likely the most incompetent Attorney General in the history of this country, John Ashcroft, but the author also offers quite serious discussion about the Patriot Act.
The final four chapters of this short book seem a little disconnected from the previous material and they function better as separate essays. The author asks "whether a democratic people has a moral obligation to terminate dissent when the nation is at war." The answer, based on American history, is a resounding No, but I wish the author spent more time on investigating the meaning of patriotism. Chapter 5, How to Democratize American Democracy, where Mr. Schlesinger characterizes the American electoral system as a "subversion of democracy" and suggests its technical improvements, only marginally belongs in the book. On the other hand, the next chapter, about the future of democracy, offers insights worth of a much deeper examination than the author is willing to provide: he suggests that religious fanaticism is the "breeding place for the greatest current threat to civilization, which is terrorism."
The book was published a bit too early for the author to notice perhaps even a greater threat to democracy - the emergence of Internet and the consequent devaluation and polarization of information. The last chapter - after the author debunks some basic tenets of Marxism - offers a perspective on "inscrutability of history," and makes an important point that history is indeed inscrutable, but only in the short run.
Other than the lack of consistent focus the book suffers from occasionally incomplete reasoning as evidenced, for instance, by missing connections between anecdotes and stories from the past and the categorical conclusions that the author offers. I am enumerating the weaknesses that I perceive, but - of course - this is a highly recommended work, a must read for everybody interested in history and philosophy of politics. Also, perhaps unfortunately, I am a relativist when rating books and I use tougher criteria for authors who had written great books before. Thus, if this were a work of a fresh Ph.D. in political history, it would likely warrant four stars. I do not believe that as the work of a highly celebrated author, this book deserves such enthusiasm.
Three and a quarter stars.
December 22, 2016
There is nothing more foolish than to think that war can be stopped by war. You don't "prevent" anything by war except Peach. (Truman) p. 22
The war on Iraq was a preventive war. p. 2Now the evidenbce of weapons of mas destruction and proof of collaboration between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden have failed to materialize, the Bush administration is left with liberation, which it had once deemed an insufficient justification for putting American lives at risk. p. 28
Asked about the lcoation of the WMDS, Sec. of Defense Rumsfeld said confidently, "We know where they are." p. 29
History teaches us that the future is full of surprises and outwits all our certitudes. p. 135
Ignorance is no pathway to success. p. 138
The war on Iraq was a preventive war. p. 2Now the evidenbce of weapons of mas destruction and proof of collaboration between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden have failed to materialize, the Bush administration is left with liberation, which it had once deemed an insufficient justification for putting American lives at risk. p. 28
Asked about the lcoation of the WMDS, Sec. of Defense Rumsfeld said confidently, "We know where they are." p. 29
History teaches us that the future is full of surprises and outwits all our certitudes. p. 135
Ignorance is no pathway to success. p. 138
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January 18, 2010War and the American Presidency by Arthur M. Schlesinger (2004)
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews