Power Without Constraint The Post 9 11 Presidency and National Security 1st Edition by Chris Edelson 9780299307431 0299307433

Power Without Constraint The Post 9 11 Presidency and National Security 1st Edition Chris Edelson – Ebook Instant Download/Delivery ISBN(s): 9780299307431, 0299307433

Product details:

• ISBN 10: 0299307433
• ISBN 13: 9780299307431
• Author: Chris Edelson

As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama criticized the George W. Bush administration for its unrestrained actions in matters of national security. Yet President Obama has not fulfilled candidate Obama’s promise to restore the rule of law and make a clean break with his predecessor. In Power without Constraint Chris Edelson offers a thorough, extensive comparison of the Bush and Obama administrations’ national security policies, arguing that both have asserted more executive authority than previous presidents. He examines once-secret Justice Department memos in which President Bush’s officials claimed for the executive branch plenary unilateral authority to use military force in response to threats of terrorism, as well as the power to set aside laws made by Congress, even criminal laws prohibiting torture and warrantless surveillance. He acknowledges that President Obama and his officials have not claimed the authority to set aside criminal laws, relying on softer rhetoric and toned-down legal arguments to advance their policies. But, in key areas—military action, surveillance, and state secrets—they have simply found new ways to assert power without meaningful constitutional or statutory constraints. Edelson contends that this legacy of the two immediately post-9/11 presidencies raises crucial questions for future presidents, Congress, the courts, and American citizens. Where is the political will to restore a balance of powers among branches of government and adherence to the rule of law? What are the limits of authority regarding presidential national security power? Have national security concerns created a permanent shift to unconstrained presidential power?

Table contents:

Section I
1. The Constitution and Presidential National Security Power
2. Presidential National Security Power before September 11, 2001
Section II
3. The George W. Bush Administration and National Security Power
4. The Bush Administration and the Use of Military Force
5. The Bush Administration and Surveillance
6. The Bush Administration and Military Detention
7. The Bush Administration and Torture
8. The Bush Administration and Secrecy
Section III
9. The Barack Obama Administration and National Security Power
10. The Obama Administration and the Use of Military Force
11. The Obama Administration and Surveillance
12. The Obama Administration and Military Detention
13. The Obama Administration and Torture
14. The Obama Administration and Secrecy

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