Presidents under fire

by James R. Arnold

Of all the responsibilities of a president, none is greater than his role as commander in chief of the armed forces. Whether the setting is Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, or Bosnia, the president must make agonizing decisions about whether and when to put Americans in harm's way. Some presidents have risen to greatness as commanders in chief. Others have gone down in history as failures because of their military defeats. What makes a successful commander in chief? Drawing on original research in presidential archives, James Arnold offers four provocative case studies of American presidents tested in the crucible of war. Since the days of the Revolution, Americans have been ambivalent about the power of the military, presenting a perennial challenge to presidents. George Washington had to face critics and doubters in the Continental Congress as well as the mighty British Army. As president, he saw his forces suffer embarrassing defeats in conflicts with frontier Indians before a final and d