Directions: Bruce Fein, an author, political adviser to Ron Paul, and former associate deputy attorney general under President Reagan wrote a letter to the editor (opinion letter) that was published in The New York Times, a well-known U.S. newspaper, about the expansion of the presidents power in the 20th and 21st centuries.
In the article, he states:
The Constitution gave Congress the power to declare war because the president is inclined to aggrandize (expand) executive power when faced with conflict or danger. As James Madison wrote to Thomas Jefferson: "The constitution supposes, what the History of all Governments demonstrates, that the Executive is the branch of power most interested in war, and most prone to it It has accordingly with studied care vested the question of war in the Legislature." The steady escalation of unchecked presidential power has transformed the Republic whose glory was liberty into an empire whose glory is perpetual war and domination.
In other words, he argues that the Framers specifically gave the legislative branch the power to declare war in the Constitution because they knew how dangerous unchecked executive power could be. He further states that this increase in presidential power has turned the U.S. from a nation focused on freedom into one focused on war and power. Think about this argument and how it relates to the article you read on the previous page, then using the Text Editor, write a brief essay in which you address the following questions:
• What does the Constitution say about the President's role in war?
• How have the actions of the presidents described in the article "Expanding Presidential Power" exceeded the checks and balances included in the Constitution?
• What do you think the Framers of the Constitution would react to the increased presidential power described in the article and the quote? Do you think they would be pleased or displeased?
• Why do you think so many presidents have found ways to bypass the checks placed on their power by the Constitution? Do you think their actions help or harm the U.S.?
Use the Writing Process to help you organize your essay, and be sure to review the grading rubric so you know what will be expected for a superior essay.