RESTORING AMERICA AFTER BUSH

A panel discussion at the Harvard Law School on Friday, May 16, 2008, to examine how to restore America after the Bush presidency. Austin Hall courtroom, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Sponsored by the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, a Boston-based social justice group (www.jalsa.org), and the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice of Harvard Law School and the ACLU of MA.

The questions to be considered:

- How can Congress and the courts be made more effective as co-equal branches to offset the expansion of presidential power? Should, and can, the expansion of presidential power be reversed?

-How should we assess the impact of the 7 years of the Bush administration on international peace and stability and the long term security of the U.S.?

Panelists are:

Professor Andrew Bacevich -- a professor of history and international relations at Boston University.

Mr. Louis Fisher -- a specialist in constitutional law with the Law Library of the Library of Congress.

Professor Charles Fried -- a professor at Harvard Law School, former Solicitor General of the U.S. (1985-89).

Mr. Norman Ornstein -- a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.

Mr. F.A.O. Schwarz , Jr. – a senior counsel for the Brennan Center for Justice, NYU Law School, Chief Counsel for the "Church Committee" (1975-76)).

Professor Detlev Vagts -- Professor of International Law, Emeritus, at Harvard Law School.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse -- US Senate, (D.RI), committees include the Judiciary Committee and the Select Committee on Intelligence; former US Attorney for R.I.

Issues to be discussed include:

• Balancing presidential and Congressional war powers.

• Making Congress more effective.

• Signing statements, executive privilege and government secrecy.

• Political influence in judicial appointments.

• Courts and national security in an era of terror, torture and detention without charge.

• De-politicizing executive departments.

• The president and international law.

• Is the Supreme Court so ideologically unbalanced as to warrant adding additional members to the Court?

• Assessing the Bush national security strategy.

• Bush, Cheney and "American exceptionalism".

• Establishing the appropriate levels and mix of military force.

• Soft power vs. hard power.

• Assessing the role of multinational institutions.

• The legacy of Bush fiscal and economic policies.

• Rescuing the national image.

• Adapting to the new commercial alignments resulting from a strident foreign policy.

• Evaluating the risk of a "clash of civilizations."

For any questions, please contact: Allan Roth, 617.437.0756