As the author points out in his introduction, virtually from the earliest days of the Republic, Americans have not been shy in offering advice on diplomacy and war to their leaders. 

Davidson then provides the reader with a rich sampling from these innumerable proposals, beginning with the Spanish-American War in 1898 and coming right down to the present, with some commentary and analysis. The suggestions offered range from the very practical, often essetially suggesting things that were actually being done (from Q-ships to the internment of Japanese Americans), to the ludicrous (hanging armor plate from cables to protect ships from submarines), and much more in between.