We give our presidents some slack when it comes to war.
Americans revere the presidents who oversaw major conflicts, especially Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
You'll have to excuse Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith if they do not join in the reverence. They are the co-authors of The Spoils of War: Greed, Power, and the Conflicts That Made Our Greatest Presidents.
The book argues that presidents support waging war for selfish reasons. The authors come on the air to explain their thesis and the support for it.