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Vietnam was really half assed supported. Tonkin Gulf resolution I beleive it was called. Something dodgy about it too. They also passed the Presidental War Powers Act, which is an affront to everything the Americans once stood for. If Congress won't keep the President in check, then the people should throw them out come election time. But they reelected Nixon. As for him pardoning himself after he was almost the first President to be sent to jail by the Senate (or would have been), he was pardoned. I know you will pursue this further, but I think there should be a pardon power, but only at the consent of Congress/Parliament. That rubber stamoping is important strawman. If in a Federal election, you voted for Parliament, then separately for a President (hopefully by preferential voting, and not the silly electoral college), results would vary so much. Just look at the 1998 Federal election. Having an executive head doesn't mean a dictatorship if they please. This ignores the separation of powers, which is sorely lacking in Australia. Robert Muldoon once famously quipped he was more powerful than the US President, in the fact he had more control over New Zealand internally as the system of Government allowed. To eject Mr Hussein will require a decapitation of the enitre head, or defections, and defections and rounding up of middle level agents. Yes, you are probably old enough to remember the 1984 election. was there any need for that? As for the bill of rights, I view democracy differently than other people. A mob may be democratic, but it takes away power from other people. Majoritorian is better. If each person can have more control of their own lives, isn't that in turn democratic, that the poeple are enpowered? As for Australia being a better democracy, I can assume you are not fond of compulsury voting.
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