Misuse of Executive Power

The author reviews the actions of each president from the time of the Vietnam War to present day. In doing this, the author focuses on the actions of each president during times of conflict. She begins with Johnson, who chose not to call of Reservists and Guard during the Vietnam conflict, but rather enforce the draft, because calling up the Reservists and Guard would be too dramatic. It would also require a visit to Congress, which Johnson wanted to avoid. By doing this, Johnson was able to send thousands of American soldiers to Vietnam without actually declaring war.

Ford attempted to do the same, sending American troops back to Vietnam to support its fragile government, but changes to the structure of the military and laws in Congress prevented Ford from going forward. However, when Reagan became president he found ways around Congress as well. Reagan...