This succinct, readable paperback, an outgrowth of the author's highly-acclaimed volume The Presidency of William McKinley substantially supersedes other accounts of the coming of the war with Spain, and provides a new and refreshing perspective on McKinley's handling of the war. The volume makes clear that McKinley's expansive view of presidential power had a significant effect on his role as commander-in-chief during the war years and on his efforts to make the White House a command post. According the Gould, McKinley laid the foundation of the modern presidency by his courageous and principled presidential leadership during the coming of the war, by the purposive way in which he conducted and oversaw the war itself, and by the manner in which he made peace with Spain, acquired the Philippines, and gained approval of the Treaty of Paris in the Senate.