I’m delighted to report that Prof. Eric Posner (University of Chicago) — who had blogged with us a few years ago — will be visiting again this week, to blog about his and Prof. Adrian Vermeule‘s new book, Executive Unbound: After the Madisonian Republic. Here is Eric’s very brief summary:
The book argues that the Madisonian system of separation of powers has eroded beyond recognition and been replaced with a system of executive primacy (which others have called the “imperial presidency”) in which Congress and the courts play only a marginal role. Most scholars who have recognized this development have called for a return to the Madisonian system, but we believe that the rise of the executive has resulted from a recognition among political elites that only a powerful executive can address the economic and security challenges of modern times.
Not a thesis to make anyone happy, on the left or right.
But you’ll hear much more detail on the subject this coming week.