"TO BE AS BIG A MAN AS HE CAN": The Imperial Presidency and Progressive Political Thought.

Most recent discussions of executive war powers are rooted in the imperial presidency thesis, which holds that post-World War II U.S. Presidents have usurped Congress' constitutional war powers, causing an unhealthy imbalance in the Constitutional framework. However, imperial presidency scholars have failed to connect their analysis of the recent growth of presidential war powers to progressivism's open challenge to the Constitutional principle of the separation of powers and the progressive conception of the president as statesman and party leader (Note Wilson quote in title). This paper analyzes the connection between progressivism and the growth of presidential war powers, and argues that the progressive conception of the Presidency has distorted the original Constitutional design for the executive in times of war and crises. Drawing from progressive theoretical writings as well as the decisions taken by progressive war presidents, this paper summarizes progressive political thought with respect to the President's role in war and foreign affairs. It then details how progressive ideas of parliamentary government, their critique of the Constitutional separation of powers, their advocacy of party government, and their overall conception of the presidency and statesmanship has significant implications for the role and perception of the executive in times of war and crisis. The progressive departure from the Constitution is accentuated with a comparison of key tenets of the progressive understanding of executive war powers and those originally outlined by the framers of the U.S. Constitution. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]