Elusive Victories: The American Presidency at War
"In this provocative and incisive study of six presidents as wartime commanders in chief, Andrew Polsky demonstrates that it is much easier to start a war than to bring it to a successful conclusion." --James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author ofBattle Cry of Freedom"Polsky's cautionary tale is as timely as it is important. Students of presidential politics (not to mention would-be presidents) take note: those presuming to master war all too frequently become war's prisoner." --Andrew J. Bacevich, author ofWashington Rules: America's Path to Permanent War"[Elusive Victories] should be required reading in the Oval Office, among many other similar, though perhaps less culpable, places." --Open Letters Monthly"The book is a sobering counterpoint to heroic narratives celebrating martial presidencies and to the scholarly emphasis on how presidential power has expanded with war." --Washington Post Book Review