Presidential Leadership and Advice about Going to War

The growth of the presidency has paralleled the growth of the U.S. government in terms of size and complexity. Leadership of large, complex systems cannot be accomplished by single individuals. Each president depends on the government’s operational officers who will implement policies once they have been adopted. But before policies are adopted, presidents need both expert and general advice on the wisdom of adopting various policy options. This chapter will examine presidential decision making and the dynamics of advisory systems. More specifically, it will focus on how presidents can use their advisors to elicit the best policy advice. There is nothing automatic about this; it is a challenge for each president.