Presidents of War is a significant feat of historical synthesis. Beschloss is a deft researcher and a first-rate storyteller, and his book draws from not only other scholarship but also from diaries, memos, tapes and interviews to construct a pointillist canvas that plumbs the hopes, ideals, fears and delusions that prompted some presidents to lead the country into armed conflict. Rather than a paean to presidential courage in the tradition of Stephen Ambrose, Presidents of War is a sober-minded analysis that stresses the ways presidents wielded deception as a weapon ... The idea that presidents have acquired imperial power, especially in war, is a familiar concept. Yet Presidents of War provides a deep history of how chief executives since the early 19th century have waged war under confused circumstances and often with secret motives ... As this fine book demonstrates, the Constitution, for all its virtues, has proved unable to check presidents who become bent on waging war. Most of the wars described here were grounded in deception and, arguably, were unjust wars of choice. Beschloss drives this point home in his disquieting study.
One of the book’s more intriguing contributions is in noting that the founders could not have envisioned war in the nuclear age, when the president would have the ability to eviscerate hundreds of millions in less than an hour—all resting on 'the whim' of a single person. However, beyond pointing this out, Beschloss says little more. The issue cries out for a treatment of its own ... Beschloss’s writing is clean and concise, and he admirably draws upon new documents. Some of the more titillating tidbits of the book are in the footnotes ... The book also has some delicious asides ... It is noticeable that Beschloss only modestly touches on 9/11, Afghanistan or Iraq, asserting, I think rightly, that they are too recent to be written about as history ... Moreover, Beschloss does not say much about the Cold War, itself a momentous conflict that long held the world hostage to potential nuclear war. But all this is mere quibbling. There are fascinating nuggets on virtually every page of Presidents of War. It is a superb and important book, superbly rendered.
Reading Beschloss's well-crafted synopses, one is reminded how often major wars are started on a false pretext ... Beschloss provides both an institutional perspective on these wars and a personal account, giving readers a sense for the dynamics of war through presidential eyes ... While Presidents of War provides excellent coverage of the eight major war episodes, smaller military interventions are missing from this book ... A full understanding of presidents of war would require attention to these limited military interventions, as well as the eight major conflicts studied by Beschloss.
In this revealing new book, Michael Beschloss...has written a monumental cautionary tale tracing how presidents of the past have chosen to exercise their war-making authority. Vividly written, Presidents of War is a sobering and timely look at our commander-in-chief’s awesome war-making powers, and how those powers can so easily circumvent our Constitution.
[Several scenes] add sparkle and bite to Michael Beschloss’s Presidents of War, his valuable and engrossing study of how our chief executives have discharged the most significant of all their duties ... [Beschloss] weaves what are in effect a dozen excellent biographies into a fluent narrative that covers two centuries of national conflict.
It is a sobering tale of strong executive leadership often accompanied by hubris, deception, outright lying, error, political misjudgment, and unconstitutional actions ... [Beschloss' work is an] impressive survey of presidential war...
... an original spin on the genre [of Presidential histories]. In his familiar, breezy way, Beschloss offers the thesis that, since the Constitution was ratified, American presidents have obfuscated the Founders’ view of the powers of war ... Anyone interested in wartime history will enjoy this book, even if it’s a little light on discussions of military strategy and tactics. The author sets out to examine the role of the commander-in-chief in relation to the American people and offers a good read while making prescient observations that are more than timely.
More than 10 years in the making, Presidents of War is a weighty contribution to the crowded shelves of American political history ... The author is an expert on the Lyndon B. Johnson years, and his chapters on the unfolding disaster of Vietnam are finely etched.
It’s a dense read, best for serious history buffs ... Beschloss didn't pen this 10-year project in vain. At least one member of Congress sees the threat [the book describes].
[Beschloss] discusses presidents and issues with clarity that will appeal to the non-expert as well as students of the presidency and American wars. The cases that he presents so convincingly should remind Congress and the public that even when the country is at war, a president's power does not supersede the Constitution.
This is a massive but eminently readable effort to gauge the performance of eight presidents ... Beschloss’ fine survey, from the War of 1812 to Vietnam, reveals a great deal about each commander-in-chief.
In another masterful work of research, NBC News presidential historian Beschloss... demonstrates his erudite grasp of the history of the executive branch ... The author’s highly readable style and ability to pinpoint the most relevant facts make this a perfect book for any student of American history and its presidents.
[Beschloss] provides insight into the motivations of American leaders ... With ample detail and enticing storytelling, this readable work will be enjoyed by students and American history buffs.
