Publisher's Synopsis
From one of the greatest historians of the White House comes the definitive analysis of America's wartime presidents, now in paperback. Ever since our nation's founding, after a nearly decade-long struggle with Great Britain, America has found itself almost continuously at war. And at the forefront of every struggle--large or small, foreign or domestic, celebrated or forgotten--has been the president, who as commander-in-chief of the armed forces has to make the impossible choice of when to hazard American lives. Michael Beschloss is a lauded historian and one of the keenest observers of the White House. In Presidents of War, he offers an authoritative portrait of our major wartime presidents in action, from the War of 1812 to the Vietnam War. Whether examining Lincoln's controversial military leadership, Wilson's idealistic and authoritarian approach to World War I, or LBJ sinking into the quagmire of Vietnam, Beschloss employs deep research and unsurpassed storytelling to bring these presidents to life in moments of public oratory and private doubt. He also charts their relationships with the public, which has consigned them to fame or infamy, and with Congress, which has continually struggled to define and redefine the president's wartime powers. Provocative and illuminating, Presidents of War is a definitive work of presidential history and an invaluable guide to leadership and decision-making in times of crisis.
