For Christmas I received the Book Nemesis by Chalmers Johnson. It is one of those books that if I were rich I’d buy a truck load of them and pass them out to passerbys like a Christian fundamentalist passing out bibles on college campus’. The book discusses the actions of the United States and how our imperalism, militarilism, and the erosion of the constitution will lead to eventual destruction of the American Republic. Johnson compares the end of Roman and British Empires to our current state and the similarities are present. The book leans left, but it isn’t a conspiracy theory book. One point the author makes that has me thinking is how the erosion of checks and balances have created in essessence an imperal presidency. George W. Bush was able to pass laws and legislation limiting the checks and balancing powers of Congress. Under the pretense of protecting the country against terrorism he was able to make decisions such as going war, renditions, torture, and wire tapping without the consent of Congress. Essentially, whatever George W. Bush wanted he got, the constitution be damned. Now we have a new President. We are perceiving that this President can not get anything done and therefore is failing. But is this really a fair assessment, or is this President allowing the Senate to provide the checks and balances the Framers desired? The President was never suppose to be the most powerful entity in our governemnt. After 8+ years of the imperial presidency of George W. Bush does the American public need to be re-schooled in what the powers of the presidency entail per the constitution?