Book Review: Charlie Savage's "Takeover"
by SusanG
from DailyKos
Takeover
The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy
By Charlie Savage
Little, Brown and Company
New York, 2007
[Cheney] hoped to enlarge the zone of secrecy around the executive branch, to reduce the power of Congress to restrict presidential action, to undermine limits imposed by international treaties, to nominate judges who favored a stronger presidency, and to impose greater White House control over the permanent workings of government. And Cheney’s vision of expanded executive power was not limited to his and Bush’s own tenure in office. Rather, Cheney wanted to permanently alter the constitutional balance of American government, establishing powers that future presidents would be able to wield as well.
...The old "inherent power" theory greatly expanded what the executive branch could do, but it was silent about whether Congress could impose restrictions on how the president carried out those responsibilities. The new and improved Unitary Executive Theory said that Congress could not regulate any executive power, but the theory said nothing about the potential scope of such power. When fused, the two theories transformed any conceivably inherent executive power into an exclusive one. The president could do virtually anything, without any check by Congress.
When historians look back at this era in America, Charlie Savage’s Takeover should serve as a primary chronicle of how America went so wrong, so fast. Prior to penning this book, Savage was most widely known as the Boston Globe reporter who was awarded a Pulitzer Prize primarily for his tenacious coverage of the effects and implications of President Bush’s signing statements.
In Takeover, the journalist takes full advantage of having a wider canvas and some intellectual stretching room to connect the dots of the insistent, constant push the Bush administration has launched against the two other branches of government. Savage lays the groundwork by looking backward first, giving an overview of the gradually expanding presidential powers--or executive attempts to expand the power--and demonstrates that this is not a partisan issue.
(Continued here.)
from DailyKos
Takeover
The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy
By Charlie Savage
Little, Brown and Company
New York, 2007
[Cheney] hoped to enlarge the zone of secrecy around the executive branch, to reduce the power of Congress to restrict presidential action, to undermine limits imposed by international treaties, to nominate judges who favored a stronger presidency, and to impose greater White House control over the permanent workings of government. And Cheney’s vision of expanded executive power was not limited to his and Bush’s own tenure in office. Rather, Cheney wanted to permanently alter the constitutional balance of American government, establishing powers that future presidents would be able to wield as well.
...The old "inherent power" theory greatly expanded what the executive branch could do, but it was silent about whether Congress could impose restrictions on how the president carried out those responsibilities. The new and improved Unitary Executive Theory said that Congress could not regulate any executive power, but the theory said nothing about the potential scope of such power. When fused, the two theories transformed any conceivably inherent executive power into an exclusive one. The president could do virtually anything, without any check by Congress.
When historians look back at this era in America, Charlie Savage’s Takeover should serve as a primary chronicle of how America went so wrong, so fast. Prior to penning this book, Savage was most widely known as the Boston Globe reporter who was awarded a Pulitzer Prize primarily for his tenacious coverage of the effects and implications of President Bush’s signing statements.
In Takeover, the journalist takes full advantage of having a wider canvas and some intellectual stretching room to connect the dots of the insistent, constant push the Bush administration has launched against the two other branches of government. Savage lays the groundwork by looking backward first, giving an overview of the gradually expanding presidential powers--or executive attempts to expand the power--and demonstrates that this is not a partisan issue.
(Continued here.)
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