The rise of presidential power poses a significant threat to America's democratic values. As the presidency apparently eclipses Congress, the courts in power, and public/media attention, the balance of powers has tilted. In this accessible book, leading scholars explore the reasons for and implications of the rising power of the presidency.

"This book presents a superb collection of analyses of the nature of executive power in our separation-of-powers system. The essays are soundly based in the Constitution and provide an incisive perspective on the constiutional power of the president and its limits. For anyone interested in the constitutional dimensions of President Bush's assertions of presidential power, this book provides an excellent overview." - James P. Pfiffner, Professor in the School of Public Policy, George Mason University"This book could not be more timely. It is an essential roadmap for studying the central issues of the presidency that are making headlines today." - Eugene J. Alpert, Ph.D., The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars "These distinguished presidential scholars offer a devastating critique of presidents who have taken executive power well beyond the framers' intentions. Their arguments are accessible to students of political science and the general public, and they help those of us who think about how presidential power should be counterbalanced by checks and balances in a constitutional and democratic system."

• Richard M. Pious, Adolph and Effie Ochs Professor, Barnard College"The Presidency and the Challenge of Democracy is engaging, provocative, and timely. There may be no contemporary issue more important than the question of executive power. Certainly some will find the book's conclusions controversial, but the arguments made by the contributors -all of whom are highly accomplished scholars in the fields of the presidency and constitutional law - must be taken seriously by anyone concerned with the future of American democracy." - Matthew J. Streb, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Northern Illinois University

  Autorentext
  MICHAEL A. GENOVESE is Professor of Political Science and Loyola Chair of Leadership Studies, and Director of the Institute for Leadership Studies at Loyola Marymount University, USA.

  LORI COX HAN is Professor and Chair of Political Science at Chapman University, USA.

  Inhalt
  Introduction: Is the Presidency Dangerous to Democracy?; M.A.Genovese From Presidential Wars to American Hegemony: The Constitution after 9/11; L.Fisher Guarding the Parchment Barrier: The Attorney General and Presidential Power in Wartime; N.V.Baker The Constitutional Checks and Balances that Neither Check nor Balance; N.Kassop The Commander-in-Chief Power and Constitutional Invention in the Bush Administration; R.J.Spitzer The President over the Public: The Plebiscitary Presidency at Center Stage; L.C.Han From Multilateralism to Unilateralism: Evaluating U.S. Policy Making in the United Nations, Gulf Wars I and II; M.Bose The President as King: The Usurpation of War and Foreign Affairs Powers in the Modern Age; D.G.Adler Conclusion: The American Presidency in the Post 9/11 World; T.E.Cronin