Elusive victories : the American presidency at war / Andrew J. Polsky.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Polsky, Andrew Joseph.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Presidents--United States--History.

Presidents.

War and emergency powers--United States--History.

War and emergency powers.

War and emergency powers--United States--Case studies.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (454 p.)

Place of Publication:

New York : Oxford University Press, 2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

On April 4, 1864, Abraham Lincoln made a shocking admission about his presidency during the Civil War. ""I claim not to have controlled events,"" he wrote in a letter, ""but confess plainly that events have controlled me."" Lincoln's words carry an invaluable lesson for wartime presidents, writes Andrew J. Polsky in this seminal book. As Polsky shows, when commanders-in-chief do try to control wartime events, more often than not they fail utterly.In Elusive Victories, Polsky provides a fascinating study of six wartime presidents, drawing larger lessons about the limits of the power of the Whit

Contents:

Introduction

Lincoln casts a shadow

A war to transform the world: Woodrow Wilson

Freedom of action: Franklin Roosevelt

Staying the course: Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon

The perils of optimism: George W. Bush

Inheriting a bad hand: Barack Obama

Conclusion: past and future.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0-19-994281-1

0-19-025264-2

1-280-59583-3

9786613625663

0-19-986094-7

OCLC:

793996684