The Vietnam war destroyed the presidency of Lyndon Johnson and forced the resignation of Richard Nixon. Those presidents who followed constructed their foreign policies mindful that they would not survive politically if they were to lead the nation into another limited war. This book presents a study of the Vietnam War's domestic politics.

In At the Water's Edge, Melvin Small delivers the first study of the Vietnam War's domestic politics. Popular perceptions of the war at home produced a dramatic and longstanding realignment in political allegiances, an assault on the media that still colors political debate today, and an economic crisis that weakened the nation for a decade after the last U.S. troops left Vietnam. The war ultimately destroyed the presidency of Lyndon Johnson and indirectly forced the resignation of Richard Nixon. Those presidents who followed constructed their foreign policies mindful that they would not survive politically if they were to lead the nation into another protracted limited war in the Third World.