The Terror Presidency: Law and Judgment Inside the Bush Administration

By Jack Goldsmith

Categories: Law, Politics & Social Sciences

The Terror Presidency: Law and Judgment Inside the Bush Administration (2007) is a memoir by Jack Goldsmith, who headed the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel from 2003 to 2004. Goldsmith describes legal battles over interrogation, surveillance and executive power after September 11. He recounts withdrawing controversial opinions, clashing with other officials and the pressure of giving legal advice in a national security crisis.

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• Fareed Zakaria: “This week's book of the week is Jack Goldsmith, "The Terror Presidency." Goldsmith was in a system to attorney general in the George W. Bush administration. It is a story of his rising concern that in an atmosphere of fear, his government was expanding its powers, operating in secret and violating the Constitution. What gives the book its force is that Goldsmith is clearly throughout a dedicated conservative who is dismayed by an executive branch gone wild.”