The Polarized Presidency of George W. Bush

by George C Edwards III, Desmond King

Overview

This collection examines the foreign and domestic policies of President George W Bush's administration. The analysis begins with an account of how highly polarized—in terms of public opinion and electoral patterns—this presidency has proved to be. This is followed by chapters on the use of unilateral executive powers and pre-rogative powers. Because the policy choices of the Bush presidency have had such fundamental effects both in domestic policy and in US foreign policy, three contributors then address the processes of decision making especially in respect to the war against Iraq. How the administration governs by a recurring process of campaigning is examined in chapters on public opinion and war, the promotional presidency, mobilizing congressional support for war and the White House communications system. Finally the way in which the Bush White House relates to congress and the process of building congressional coalitions to enact laws is the subject of chapters on "executive style" of this administration and the failure to reform social security. It will be essential reading for anyone wishing to understand one of the most controversial administrations in recent years.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199217977
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	07/19/2007
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	478
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 6.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

George C. Edwards III is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Texas A&M University. He also holds the Jordan Chair in Presidential Studies in the Bush School, and has served as the Olin Professor of American Government at Oxford, the John Adams Fellow at the University of London, and held senior visiting appointments at Peking University, Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He was the founder and from 1991-2001 the director of The Center for Presidential Studies. One of the country's leading scholars of the presidency, he has authored dozens of articles and has written or edited 21 books on American politics and public policy making. He is also editor of Presidential Studies Quarterly and consulting editor of The Oxford Handbook of American Politics series. Among his latest books are On Deaf Ears: The Limits of the Bully Pulpit, Why the Electoral College Is Bad for America , and Governing by Campaigning.

Desmond King is Andrew W. Mellon Professor of American Government and Fellow of Nuffield College, University of Oxford and a specialist in American political development and comparative welfare policy. He is Fellow of the British Academy. His numerous books include In the Name of Liberalism: Illiberal Social Policy in the USA and Britain (Oxford, 1999), Making Americans: Immigration, Race and the Origins of the Diverse Democracy (2000), and The Liberty of Strangers: Making the American Nation (Oxford, 2005).

Table of Contents

Introduction, George C. Edwards III and Desmond S. KingPart I: Exercising Power2. The Scope of Inherent Powers, Louis Fisher3. Torture of Detainees and Presidential Prerogative Power, Richard Pious, Barnard College4. Bending so as Not to Break: What the Bush Presidency Reveals about the Politics of Unilateral Action, William Howell and Douglas Kriner, Harvard UniversityPart II: Decision making5. "The Decider's" Path to War in Iraq and the Importance of Personality, Thomas Langston6. From Success to Failure? Iraq and the Organization of George W. Bush's Decision Making, John Burke7. Intelligence and Decision Making Before the War with Iraq, James PfiffnerPart III: Governing by Campaigning8. The Public, the President, and the War in Iraq, Gary C. Jacobson9. The Promotional Presidency and the New Institutional Toryism: Public Mobilization, Legislative Dominance, and Squandered Opportunities, Larry Jacobs10. Going Public, Going to Baghdad: Presidential Agenda-Setting and the Electoral Connection in Congress, Scott Blinder11. Managing the News: The Bush Communications Operation, Martha KumarPart IV: Building Congressional Coalitions12. The U. S. Congress and Chief Executive George W. Bush,, Charles O. Jones13. Policy Histories and Partisan Leadership in Presidential Studies: The Case of Social Security, Fiona Ross