Rivals for Power: Presidential-Congressional Relations

The second term of President George W. Bush may seem like a paradigm of undivided government, with the executive and both houses of Congress firmly grounded in the Republican party. Yet already there are rumblings among Republicans, let alone the grumblings of the disaffected Democrats. Divided or unified, the Presidential-Congressional rivalry continues unabated. What is it about the institutional relationship between Congress and the presidency that ensures conflict even in the face of necessary cooperation? Here, well-known scholars and practitioners of Congressional-Presidential relations come together to explore both branches of government and what unites as well as divides them. Highlights include chapters on budgetary politics in a time of deep deficit, the impact of campaign messages and election mandates, veto bargaining, and the making of U.S. foreign policy over four decades. Case studies of budget battles, trade wars, and the war in Iraq lend concrete detail to political theory. Firsthand experience on the Hill and in the Oval Office—and everywhere in between—is reflected in each chapter. Election 2004 is known for resolving some of the conflicts that the 2000 election left in play. The new edition of Rivals for Power shows how even a seeming mandate can be made subject to the rules and rigors of Washington's built-in rivalry.