Constitutional Interpretations have political implications. Especially in the ongoing debate over limits on the powers of the executive branch, those on both sides of the issue base their claims on their understandings of the Constitution's granting or withholding of executive authority. In this groundbreaking collection of studies, eleven presidential scholars examine for the first time the origins, development, use, and future of the unitary executive theory, a concept frequently cited during the presidency of George W. Bush. Despite the attention the unitary executive theory received as a result of controversial actions undertaken by the Bush administration, the contributors to this volume believe the concept continues to be largely misunderstood. Mainstream thinking about contemporary presidential power focuses on each individual president's ability to bargain and persuade Congress, the press, and the public. The Unitary Executive and the Modern Presidency, in contrast, places an institutional lens on the topic. It examines how the concept became a recognized constitutional theory of presidential authority, how it has evolved, how it has been employed by presidents of both parties, and how its use has affected and been affected by U.

S. politics. This book also examines the constitutional, political, and even psychological impact of the last thirty years of turmoil in the executive branch and the ways that controversy has altered both the exercise and the public's view of presidential power. The Unitary Executive and the Modern Presidency is an important work for presidential scholars, students of politics and political historians, interested general readers, and anyone seeking an understanding of the modern development and uses of presidential power. Book jacket.