Don't forget other Founding Fathers

In response to Brian Stewart's Jan. 19 column "Imperiled presidency," I would like to make it clear that Stewart relies almost exclusively on Alexander Hamilton to buttress his assertion that President Bush's expansion of his own executive powers is consistent with the ideas of the U.S. government as articulated by the "Founding Fathers." Conspicuously absent is the voice of James Madison, the single-most influential architect of the Constitution. Why could this be? Perhaps because Madison frequently expressed his fear of excessive government power, a view that would undermine Stewart's myopic interpretation of American republicanism. Here are a few of Madison's thoughts that exhibit his foresight: "The essence of government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse." "No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare." "Of all enemies of public liberty, war is perhaps the most to be dreaded, because it compromises and develops the germ of every other." "I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."\nIn conclusion, Stewart should be reminded that, in the impeachment of Richard Nixon, Article 2 of the three Articles of Impeachment dealt with the illegal wiretapping of Americans. Bush's unilateral decision to authorize warrantless wiretaps violates the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act's provisions, which were enacted precisely because of the abuses of power incurred by the Nixon administration, so presciently articulated by Madison.