Presidential War Power Book

Preeminent constitutional authority Louis Fisher chronicles the dramatic expansion--from George Washington to Bill Clinton--of presidential war power. Executive initiatives, he argues, come at the expense of congressional control and violate the Constitution. Indeed, the post-World War II political climate has promoted extra-constitutional actions by presidents eager to redefine the meanings of "emergency powers" and "defensive war." Flashpoints like Haiti, Bosnia, Panama, and the Persian Gulf, he contends, provide predictable manifestations of an increasingly overreaching presidency. Constitutionally, Congress was empowered to declare and authorize war. Yet, thanks largely to a docile Congress and negligent judiciary, presidents have virtually confiscated the power to make war. That process has hardly been curbed by the War Powers Resolution (1973) and more recent signs of congressional backbone. As a result, Presidents Bush (in the Persian Gulf) and Clinton (in Haiti and Bosnia) have tried to sidestep congressional approval by asserting United Nations authority for military actions beyond our borders. Fisher is emphatic: Such actions violate the letter and the spirit of the Constitution. More than a comprehensive history and critical commentary on the growth of presidential power, Fisher's book also addresses fundamental questions--what defines self-defense? what constitutes a commitment of forces? should the War Powers Resolution be reauthorized?--and reminds us again of how much is at stake every time we go to war.Read More