ABSTRACT
The United States has one President, but it has two presidencies; one presidency is for domestic affairs, and the other is concerned with defense and foreign policy. Since World War II, Presidents have had much greater success in controlling the nation’s defense and foreign policies than in dominating its domestic policies. The President’s normal problem with domestic policy is to get congressional support for the programs he prefers. Power in politics is control over governmental decisions. Serious setbacks to the President in controlling foreign policy are extraordinary and unusual. The chapter considers the potential rivals—the general citizenry, special interest groups, the Congress, the military, the so-called military-industrial complex, and the State Department. The congressional appropriations power is potentially a significant resource, but circumstances since the end of World War II have tended to reduce its effectiveness. The outstanding feature of the military’s participation in making defense policy is their amazing weakness.
