Kingly beginnings -- Why presidents amend the Constitution -- How presidents amend the Constitution -- The living presidency in a living Constitution -- From defender to amender -- From first general to war declarer -- From chief diplomat to foreign affairs supremo -- From a weak third chamber to a junior-varsity Congress -- How to recage the executive lion -- Conclusion: The executive as banana boy

"Beloved by liberals, the living Constitution evolves with the times. But one downside has been the erosion of constitutional constraints on executive action. Saikrishna Prakash argues that if we want to rein in this imperial, living presidency, we must embrace constitutional originalism and revive the framers' vision of the separation of powers"--