This book investigates why United States national security policy remains largely consistent across different presidential administrations despite shifts in political leadership. Michael J. Glennon, a professor of international law, utilizes the framework of 'double government'—originally proposed by Walter Bagehot—to argue that the visible institutions of democracy are increasingly decoupled from the actual mechanisms of security policy. He posits that a 'Trumanite network' of unelected officials and bureaucrats maintains continuity in policy, effectively insulating national security decisions from public oversight and constitutional checks.

Scholars and political analysts frequently cite this work as a significant contribution to the study of the American administrative state and executive power. Readers often note the academic density of the prose and the provocative nature of the author's conclusions regarding the health of democratic institutions.