Author Description

A classic and bestselling work by one of our top Constitutional scholars, Presidential War Power garnered the lead review in the New York Times Book Review and raised essential issues that have only become more timely, relevant, and controversial since its initial publication nearly a decade ago. In this new edition, Louis Fisher updates his arguments throughout, critiques the presidential actions of William Clinton and George W. Bush, and challenges their dangerous expansion of executive power. Spanning the life of the Republic from the Revolutionary Era to the nation's post-9/11 wars, the new edition now covers: € New military initiatives including the Use of Force Act, the Iraq Resolution of 2002, George W. Bush's new "preemption doctrine," and his order authorizing military tribunals. € President Clinton's overt and covert military actions in Bosnia and against Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden. € George H. W. Bush's reasons for not pushing on to Baghdad to overthrow Saddham Hussein after DESERT STORM. € Numerous Congressional initiatives, including a 1995 effort to amend the War Powers Resolution and a proposed 1998 amendment to use the power of the purse to limit presidential military initiatives. € The 1998 CIA "whistle-blowing" statute. € New sections on the Vandenberg Resolution of 1948, the "Little Sarah" incident of 1793, and early apparent precedents that did not make the President the "sole organ" of foreign affairs. € New material on letters of marque and reprisal, the law of nations, presidential "fame," and the contributions of Joseph Story.