American Government history?

Question

How was the constitution written as a flexible framework of government?

Answer 1

If you read carefully through the text of the Constitution, you will find it is littered with contradictions that were intended not necessarily to be vague and misleading, but rather, were to allow for numerous interpretations.  In a few small ways, it is now outdated.  It requires that the executive branch (the President)go before Congress (the Legislative Branch) and request permission to declare war.  A very nice means of ensuring a checks and balance of power.  But it also allows the President to commit the troops to military action for a full 90 days without first having gained that permission -- Clinton used this clause to commit troops to Bosnia.  All is well and good for back in the time period in which it was written, it took about 3 months to get the word out to assemble Congress.  But now in the age of nuclear warfare and aircraft and missiles that travel three and four times the speed of sound.  Folks, we have a problem.  Eisenhower as President insisted on having an "All or Nothing" policy which stated that the use of nuclear weapons must always be on the table as a viable option.  This was intended to keep the U.S. out of small scale conflicts that had little relevance to U.S. interests.  Kennedy ignored and rescinded that policy and then attacked Cuba (Bay of Pigs), without Congressional approval and then put us into a war in Southeast Asia.  Contradictions allowing confusion and flexability to be interpreted as the user sees fit.  "Freedom OF Religion" not FROM religion...  It's all a matter of interpretation.

Answer 2

If you actually read the Constitution as it was written, it is not flexible.  It is a contract between We the People and those we chose to govern.  It has very binding rules on how things are to be done.  War is to be declared by Congress, but only the President can chose his Generals and decide where they go.  The President can pick his Cabinet and appoint Supreme Court Justices.  The Congress can only advise and consent on the Cabinet and Supreme Court Justices.  Advise and Consent does not mean they can delay until the President picks who they want.  It is not a debatable question, its the Constitution.  Only in recent years has it become a flexible framework as the left wing has tried to destroy our Government and wrest the power of We the People from us.