The Road To War

The Road to War: Congress' Historic Abdication of Responsibility is a thought-provoking discussion of the ramifications of a shift in the balance of powers between Congress and the executive as regards war, peace, and the oversight of the U.S. intelligence apparatus. To underscore his argument, author Robert Kennedy outlines the intellectual origins of the U.S. Constitution and examines the intent of the Framers on the relationship between Congress and the executive branch in the formulation of foreign and security policy and decisions of war and peace. Kennedy exposes the erosion of congressional power from 1789 to the 20th century, focusing on the impact of that decline as reflected in congressional oversight of the intelligence community from the early 20th century on. Putting special emphasis on congressional oversight prior to the 2003 war with Iraq, he explores the events that led to the current failure of Congress to effectively oversee the quality of the U.S. intelligence effort - and the unfortunate results of that failure.