static conceptions of the ideal republic (Machiavelli, 1950). The provision of a strong executive, the mechanism for impeaching him in the event that he overreached, and the emphasis on a militia subject to national authority and discipline, are all elements that Machiavelli would have approved (Machiavelli, 1950).
The most striking element of the constitutional system is the presidency. In establishing a single chief executive, combining civil administration with the role of military commander-in-chief, the drafters of the Constition pushed very near to the point of creating a constitutional elective monarch. (It is perhaps notable that "president" has come in modern times to be the usual title of autocrats around the world.) The American presidency, held by a single man and with a relatively long four-year term, may be compared to the dual Roman consulship limited to a single year (Everdell, 1983). A single man with the authority and prestige of the presidency would inevitably tend to lead Congress rather than being led by it. Until the 1950s, o
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