Thanks to Tim for tipping me off to this: If you ever wondered whether all those secret, small expansions to the president's power really will ever have an effect on your life, check out this utterly terrifying article about the implications of a secret order issued by Ronald Reagan in the '80s -- it's apparently so secret that we don't even know when, though that could just be lack of access to "classified" information per usual -- regarding the line of presidential succession. (Ever notice that whenever this subject is brought up, no one can ever agree on who follows the Vice President?)

In the scenario I'm envisioning, Nancy Pelosi would assert her claim as acting president under existing statutes while Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, or some other executive official, would simultaneously assert her competing authority under the executive order.

When confronting these competing claims, it would be the military that would call the shots. As the Washington Post reported three years ago, the Pentagon has "devised its first-ever war plans for guarding against and responding to terrorist attacks in the United States, envisioning 15 potential crisis scenarios and anticipating several simultaneous strikes around the country." In acting on these plans, would the Joint Chiefs choose to recognize the constitutional authority of Pelosi as commander in chief? Or would they respond to the commands of the executive official presiding over the "doomsday" crisis center at some "undisclosed location"? To ask the question is to answer it: The whole point of these "doomsday" exercises is to assure instant obedience to the will of the executive on the other side of the hot line. We are staring at a clear and present danger to the republic.

Even if the scenario never happens, the very notion that the President -- especially a revered and supposed champion of Constitutional rule like Reagan -- can secretly amend the Constitution for his own purposes is profoundly unnerving.