Title: The president's czars : undermining Congress and the Constitution /
Authors: Sollenberger, Mitchel A.; Rozell, Mark J.
Publisher: University Press of Kansas,
Year: 2012
Subjects: United States. Powers and duties.; Executive power United States History; Presidents Staff Selection and appointment United States History.; Separation of powers United States; United States Officials and employees Selection and appointment History.
Abstract: The very word "czar" seems inappropriate in a constitutional republic, but it has come to describe any executive branch official who has significant authority over a policy area, works independently of agency or Department heads, and is not confirmed by the Senate--or subject to congressional oversight. Mitchel Sollenberger and Mark Rozell provide the first comprehensive overview of presidential czars, tracing the history of the position from its origins through its initial expansion under FDR and its dramatic growth during the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. --from publisher description.
Contents: Preface -- Czars and the U.S. Constitution -- The origins and growth of executive branch Czars -- Franklin D. Roosevelt: Czars in the modern presidency -- Harry S Truman-Lyndon B. Johnson: consolidating the use of czars -- Richard M. Nixon-Jimmy Carter: Congress's feeble response -- Ronald Reagan-Bill Clinton: the reemergence of czars -- George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and the vast proliferation of czars -- Conclusions: restoring the constitutional balance.