Will Democracy survive Bush ? (E)

Democracy is under great pressure in the United States, with the War Presidency of Mr. Bush consistenly expanding the powers and reach of its administration while ignoring ever clearer signals from the popular vote and the other branches of power. How dangerous is that ?
Srong presidencies in the U.S. have a history of expanding and contracting in conjunction with the powers of Congress and the judiciary. So, nothing's new, and as long as the system of checks and balances stands, the future of democracy looks secured.
Please download a longer treatment of the constitutionality of the so-called 'unitary executive' HERE
A summary version of this text (without notes, references and bibliographical information) has just been published in the Australian On Line Opinion