2008 Woodie Awards
Adler speaks on state of Constitution in the U.S. during Constitution Day celebration
Ryan S. Hunter
Issue date: 9/19/07 Section: News
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ISU, like many institutions across the country, commemorated the signing of the United States Constitution during the third annual ISU Constitution Day celebration on Monday, Sept. 17, in the Canoe Room of the Pond Student Union Building. Dr. David Gray Adler spoke during the short celebration on the current state of our founding document and of the United States.
Adler, who is a professor of political science at ISU, and a nationally renowned constitutional scholar specializing in the subject of presidential war powers, made powerful criticisms of both President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress.
He focused his remarks, however, on the aggrandizement of current executive powers, as well as the continual aggregation of other governmental powers by the Bush administration.
"No other president comes close to asserting the aggregate of powers that President Bush and his administration have," said Adler to a diverse group of community members and students. "The Framer's would not recognize the presidency today. It barely resembles the office they originally drew up."
Adler talked of how the Framer's "great quest" was to subordinate the government to the rule of law by "confining and defining" the power allotted to it, especially in regards to the executive branch.
"They (the Framers) could not trust one person with such awesome power," said Adler.
The Framers original vision, as agreed upon by most constitutional scholars - including Adler - was to allot the lions-share of power to congress, with three "essential powers" being necessary for congress to retain if a republic were to survive: the law making power, the war making power, and the appropriations power.
According to Adler, President Bush has aggrandized his portion of these powers, and Congress has - in some form or another to varying degrees - abdicated their portion of these powers.
"Congress has fallen on all fours before the President," said Adler.
Adler stated, however, that the President has claimed powers that aren't allotted to Congress, and can't even be found within "the four corners of the Constitution," many of these claims being unprecedented.
Adler, who is a professor of political science at ISU, and a nationally renowned constitutional scholar specializing in the subject of presidential war powers, made powerful criticisms of both President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress.
He focused his remarks, however, on the aggrandizement of current executive powers, as well as the continual aggregation of other governmental powers by the Bush administration.
"No other president comes close to asserting the aggregate of powers that President Bush and his administration have," said Adler to a diverse group of community members and students. "The Framer's would not recognize the presidency today. It barely resembles the office they originally drew up."
Adler talked of how the Framer's "great quest" was to subordinate the government to the rule of law by "confining and defining" the power allotted to it, especially in regards to the executive branch.
"They (the Framers) could not trust one person with such awesome power," said Adler.
The Framers original vision, as agreed upon by most constitutional scholars - including Adler - was to allot the lions-share of power to congress, with three "essential powers" being necessary for congress to retain if a republic were to survive: the law making power, the war making power, and the appropriations power.
According to Adler, President Bush has aggrandized his portion of these powers, and Congress has - in some form or another to varying degrees - abdicated their portion of these powers.
"Congress has fallen on all fours before the President," said Adler.
Adler stated, however, that the President has claimed powers that aren't allotted to Congress, and can't even be found within "the four corners of the Constitution," many of these claims being unprecedented.
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