1. THE IMPERIAL PRESIDENCY

2. Origin of the term
 Term gained popularity in the early 1970s –
Schlesinger – The Imperial Presidency
 He focused on what he saw as the abuse of
power by Johnson (1963-69) and Nixon
(1969-74)
 Also the growth of EXOP and saw the White
House as coming to resemble a royal court
with the President as a latter day emperor

3. Background
 Johnson and Nixon personified the imperial
Presidency in the crises of Vietnam and Watergate
 Effective checks and balances? The executive branch
had become dominant, Congress subservient
 Schlesinger – imperial Presidency was essentially the
creation of foreign policy –looked to the President
for leadership and this allowed successive Presidents
to take advantage of the ambiguities of the
Constitution in terms of war making powers.
 Founding Fathers – Constitution granted Congress
the power to initiate military action (proactive);
President reactive-supervise military action
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NcIFss56dA

4. Johnson and Nixon
 Extended their war making powers from those
intended by the FFs
 Before them Eisenhower sent troops to Lebanon
without Congress’s authorisation
 1964 Gulf of Tonkin resolution passed by
Congress –blank cheque for Johnson for war
 Nixon – Vietnam and Cambodia. Watergate –
enemies lists, bugging, wire tapping, and claims
of executive privilege
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXmxfCvO7l
A

5. Other Presidencies
 President Ford talked about an imperilled
Presidency - identified 2 reasons for the
change – erosion of party leadership in
Congress and inability to control federal
bureaucracy
 Reagan’s use of Presidential power - Iran
Contra affair -selling arms to Iran and using
the funds to support rebels in Nicaragua –
both policies contravened congressional bans

6. Clinton
 Clinton – Healy focused on 2 areas in which
he was imperial- treaty making power and
war making power
 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty – USA would
refrain from underground testing of nuclear
weapons - rejected by Senate, but Clinton
administration asserted that it was still in
force
 Undeclared wars in Haiti, Bosnia and Serbia

7. George W. Bush
 Imperial Presidency reborn? Bush claimed
that assertion of presidential authority were
only a response to the events of 9/11
 Many in his administration believed that
Congress’s role was subsidiary when it comes
to matters of national defence and security
 Later rebuffs –Congress refused to
permanently extend the Patriot Act
 Was Bush presidential rather than imperial?

8. Conclusion
 Mervin – concept is a cliche implying he is a
master of all he surveys and an emperor –is
this the case?
 Definition –problematic concept and is often
a label that is stuck on virtually all modern
Presidents by their critics
 Obama – imperilled or imperial Presidency?
Libya and the War
Powershttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ
rutKFRhxI