Domestic Affairs Quotes
President Johnson said this to Joseph Califano after he had asked him to be his special assistant for domestic affairs
Despite a policy of non-intervention in the affairs of other countries, America has frequently found a reason to make an exception to the policy and send troops to a foreign nation to shape the government in a direction to our liking. After WWII America also used covert operations to change regimes or destabilize governments perceived not in America’s interests. Sending troops to Western Hemisphere nations was continued as well but much less frequently than earlier.
Periodically in American history, there has been a struggle between the Executive Branch and the Senate for dominance. The Senate’s power is negative however. It can block things, but cannot directly make them happen. The President can do both.
The highest court in New York. This was the generally accepted view of international law until WWII when atrocities and crimes against humanity were coped with. Also, at the time of this writing America was a small emerging state and not one of the great powers. Hence the prohibition of even commenting on the internal affairs of another nation was important to us. Now that America is a superpower, and society is more concerned with human rights, the point of view has changed.