War Powers : How the Imperal Presidency Hijacked the Constitution
by Irons, Peter
Edition statement:1st Published by : Metropolitan Books (New York ) Physical details: 303 Pages 24x16 cm | HB ISBN:9780805075939. Year: 2005| Item type | Current location | Collection | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Books
|
Fiction | Fiction | 342.730412 I711W 2005 (Browse shelf) | Available | 15984 |
Include Conclusion, Notes, Suggested Reading and Sources and Index
This book examines a fundamental question in the development of the American empire: What constraints does the Constitution place on our territorial expansion, military intervention, occupation of foreign countries, and on the power the president may exercise over American foreign policy? Worried about the dangers of unchecked executive power, the Founding Fathers deliberately assigned Congress the sole authority to make war. But the last time Congress declared war was on December 8, 1941, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Since then, every president from Harry Truman to George W. Bush has used military force in pursuit of imperial objectives, while Congress and the Supreme Court have virtually abdicated their responsibilities to check presidential power. Legal historian Irons recounts this story of subversion from above, tracing presidents' increasing willingness to ignore congressional authority and even suspend civil liberties. -- From publisher description.
There are no comments for this item.