Conferring any new power on our elected officials raises the question of trust in leadership -- in two ways. In one sense, our constitutional principles enjoin us never to trust leadership -- that is, we expect leaders' actions to be in all instances bound by statute. But we may choose to write statutes that give them more discretion, or empower them to do things -- for example, listen in on overseas conversations involving an American without a warrant -- that they were not previously empowered to do.
Is trusting Obama like trusting Bush?
Is trusting Obama like trusting Bush?
Is trusting Obama like trusting Bush?
Conferring any new power on our elected officials raises the question of trust in leadership -- in two ways. In one sense, our constitutional principles enjoin us never to trust leadership -- that is, we expect leaders' actions to be in all instances bound by statute. But we may choose to write statutes that give them more discretion, or empower them to do things -- for example, listen in on overseas conversations involving an American without a warrant -- that they were not previously empowered to do.