Scholars and citizens alike have endlessly debated the proper limits of presidential action within our democracy. Yet few have truly understood the nature of the president’s special powers and their impact on American life. In this volume, Phillip Cooper offers a cogent guide to these powers and shows how presidents from George Washington to George W. Bush have used and abused them in trying to realise their visions for the nation. As Cooper reveals, there has been virtually no significant policy area or level of government untouched by the application of these presidential power tools .