Imperal Presidentsy
War, or even the threat of it, has always seemed to give the president more power. Intimes of war Americans often readily give more power to the president, but once thecrisis is over the public then becomes concerned with whether they have created an officethat has become imperial. The office of the president has become increasingly morepowerful over the last 50-60 years. Even though the power to declare war and send UStroops into war belonged to Congress there have many presidents who have chosen todisregard that point and enter our country into war. Recent history has shown that therehave been several occasions when the president has taken upon himself to deploy troopsor order attacks, without even as much as consulting Congress. One president was able to trick the Congress into entering into war, and still others have informed Congress after the In 1950, President Harry Truman dispatched troops to South Korea after it hadbeen invaded by Communist North Korea, without a declaration of war from Congress. Facing re-election in 1964, President Lyndon Johnson, wanting to be seen as taking a hardstance on Communism entered a war he never really supported in the first place. In
Les Aspin warned of "crazed dictators" while testifyingduring the Iran-Contra hearings. "(Mauro) However, the line-item veto has serious constitutional problems. (Dodge) But opponents of the line-item veto have fears over the shifting of power fromCapitol Hill to the White House. Eight servicemen died in a mission that was eventuallyaborted. Bill Cohen, a political commentary,describes this type of behavior by these presidents best when he says: "When Congress isnot informed, or misinformed, when it is advised of actions long after they have occurred,the system of checks and balances is arrested. " Another issue that lends itself to the idea of an Imperial Presidency is that of theline-item veto. Supporters of the line-item veto havealready introduced new legislation to restore the president's ability to limit congressionalspending. Reagan ordered the invasion ofGranada to protect American medical students. The next president, Ronald Reagan, more than once refused to seek Congressionalapproval before sending US troops to foreign countries. On June 1, 1997, a new law came into effect that allowed the president toreject specific items in appropriation bills, new entitlement programs, and special interesttax breaks without vetoing the entire bill. President Bush sent troops to invade Panama because of escalatingviolence against Americans there. The Court ruled that atrue line-item veto would take a Constitutional amendment and the 82 times that Clintonhad used it had been unconstitutional. President Johnson immediately ordered the bombing of North Vietnamese naval bases,resulting in the US being drawn full scale into the Viet Nam War. Without an appreciation of the balance between the branches, such subordinates may be ignoring the law, even if it means taking actions which violate publicly stated US policy.
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Acceptance Essays
