The Terror Presidency
Law and Judgment Inside the Bush Administration
12 May 2009
Description
A New York Times Bestseller
A central player’s account of the clash between the rule of law and the necessity of defending America.
Jack Goldsmith’s duty as head of the Office of Legal Counsel was to advise President Bush on what he could and could not do . . . legally. Immediately after taking the job in October 2003, Goldsmith began to see that the work of his predecessors, whose opinions were the legal framework governing the conduct of the military and intelligence agencies in the war on terror, were deeply flawed.Goldsmith is a conservative lawyer who understands the imperative of averting another 9/11. But his unflinching insistence that we abide by the law put him on a collision course with powerful figures in the administration. In The Terror Presidency he shows how Bush damaged his own presidency and compromised the ability of his successors to respond forcefully in times of crisis.
Reviews
"An important book—a genuine service to national interest—on several levels." — Timothy Rutten, Los Angeles Times
"Chilling. . . . The portrait of the Bush administration that Mr. Goldsmith draws in this book is a devastating one. . . . Illuminating." — Michiko Kakutani, New York Times
Also By: Jack Goldsmith 
Power and Constraint: The Accountable Presidency After 9/11
Hardback, 2012
The surprising truth behind Barack Obama's decision to continue many of his predecessor's counterterrorism policies.
Power and Constraint: The Accountable Presidency After 9/11
E Book, 2012
The surprising truth behind Barack Obama's decision to continue many of his predecessor's counterterrorism policies.
