"Constitutional Ambiguity and the Interpretation of Presidential Power is an expert-led journey through the history of the American presidency with the concept of constitutional ambiguity as its touchstone. At the end of the trip, there are still no easy answers to the hard questions raised by the book. Still, thanks to Waterman's thoughtful and thorough analysis, we have a much more informed starting point for discussion of these vitally important issues." ? Congress & the Presidency

"Waterman asks questions of absolutely first order importance to the study of the American presidency. After recognizing the essential ambiguity of Article II, he then establishes its significance for a broad array of arguments about the outer reaches of presidential power through US history. Rather than adjudicate debates about which specific constitutional interpretations are, in one sense or another, objectively correct, Constitutional Ambiguity and the Interpretation of Presidential Power helps to clarify the sheer variety of claims that this ambiguity has supported. At a time of acute anxieties about presidential power and democracy, this book is sorely needed." ? William Howell, author of Presidents, Populism, and the Crisis of Democracy