340wars test presidents, perhaps more severely than any other respon-
sibility they face. A wartime president bears the burden of life and
death. With the decision to go to war, moreover, comes a series of chal-
lenges that can overwhelm a chief executive. Abraham Lincoln and
Franklin Roosevelt rank among our most accomplished presidents, two
leaders of extraordinary skill and vision. Of the presidents I have exam-
ined in these pages, they came closest to fulfilling the full range of
responsibilities that confront a political leader in wartime. Th eir perfor-
mances merit deep respect. Yet they were still fl awed.
And what of the other war presidents, the “mere mortals”? Th ey
were accomplished politicians in their own right, often with an
enviable record on the domestic side. Nevertheless, when thrust into
the role of wartime leader, whether by their own decisions or because
they inherited an ongoing confl ict, they came up short by a wider
margin. Though it may be tempting to judge them harshly, their
record says more about the impossibility of the challenges than about
their personal limitations. Usually they approached the problems of
wartime leadership with an appreciation of how hard it would be to
achieve anything that looked like victory. And as control slipped from
their grasp, their wars haunted them. Th is is the legacy we weigh as we
look toward the future.
Conclusion
Past and Future