I'm not a king, the statement famously made by Barack Obama midway through his presidency

noting and possibly lamenting the fact that there are limits to his presidential powers,

that the Constitution gives Congress the ability to block him in all sorts of ways by giving

Congress final say on certain kinds of appointments on what laws get passed, how money gets spent.

But at the same time as he was lamenting this reality, the president also became one in a long

line of presidents to be accused of trying to fashion various end runs around those limits.

And the question is whether in doing so, he was fairly interpreting the Constitution or

whether he was violating it, breaking the rules set in place by the framers.

Well, that sounds like the makings of a debate, so let's have it.

This or no to this statement, the president has usurped the Constitutional power of Congress.

A debate from Intelligence Square US, I'm John Don Van, we are in Philadelphia at the National

Constitution Center, as always our debate will go in three rounds and then our audience

here in Philadelphia votes to choose the winner and only one side wins.

Let's meet our debaters first arguing for the motion.

The president has usurped the Constitutional power of Congress.

I want to introduce Mike McConnell, Mike, welcome to Intelligence Square US and the NCC.

Thank you.

So Mike, you are a former federal judge.

You are now director of the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford.

And what we find interesting in light of today's topic, an anecdote about you, that years

ago you were so impressed with the young Harvard Law student who was editor of the Law

Review that you essentially got him a job at the University of Chicago Law School.

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