The Obama administration and its supporters claim James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson and Noah Webster. Its opponents, including Senate Republicans, also tout Madison and Hamilton, George Washington and Samuel Johnson.
History and dictionaries are the weapons of choice in a major constitutional battle between the administration and the U.S. Senate over the president’s power to make appointments during recesses of that legislative body. And not surprisingly, each side sees in the writings of those historical figures evidence supporting their arguments.
