Presidential War Time Powers Debated

KPBS | By KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published February 12, 2007 at 3:30 PM PST

This story was published more than 18 years ago.

As the war in Iraq rages on, questions are raised about who holds the power to wage war? On Mondays Full Focus, well talk about whether the War on Terror is stretching the constitution beyond the

Wiretaps, imprisonment without legal representation, financial records under scrutiny. These are all concerns when presidential power expands in wartime. Tonight, we'll debate whether the expansion of those powers is legal and justified.

Should the president have the right to detain terrorism suspects without due process, torture them for information and carry out electronic surveillance of Americans to stop future attacks? Tonight, Full Focus Reporter Amita Sharma talks to two men who disagree on how much power the president should have in the war on terror.

Guests

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John Yoo , former Deputy Assistant Attorney General who supports boosting presidential power and was author of the 2002 Justice Department memo redefining torture.

Professor Michael Ramsey , USD law professor who has written extensively on executive power during wartime.

Presidential War Time Powers Debated

As the war in Iraq rages on, questions are raised about who holds the power to wage war? On Mondays Full Focus, well talk about whether the War on Terror is stretching the constitution beyond the

As the war in Iraq rages on, questions are raised about who holds the power to wage war? On Mondays Full Focus, well talk about whether the War on Terror is stretching the constitution beyond the