Read the book or the reviews, Dave. What matters is how systems work, more than the texts of founding documents.No one in 1787 intended a popular democracy supporting an independent and powerful presidency.

The Once and Future King sets out the legislative shenanigans by which presidents of all parties added to their powers "unchecked either by a supine Congress or an electorate believing its own libertarian political rhetoric."

Those separation of powers, Dave, were supposed to resist the president's authority. "Instead they have served to shield him from congressional oversight,"according to Buckley. Obama is only the latest user.

US citizens pride themselves not on constitutionalism but on "strong presidential governance," resulting in the US having "a greater tolerance for corruption than most other first-world countries."

Your opinions notwithstanding, an authoritative consensus from both sides of the ocean agrees.