Contempt of Congress: The Iran-Contra Affair and the American Constitution

Abstract

What kind of crisis was the Iran-Contra affair7 Does it betoken an on-going constitutional crisis? Most interpreters of the affair have contended that what was at stake were the constitutional prerogatives of the President and Congress. Depending on their allegiances, they have argued either that the Congress overstepped its constitutional boundaries in an attempt to control foreign affairs, or that the President overreached himself in trying to evade Congress' legitimate voice in foreign policy. Arguments about whether the constitutional prerogatives of either branch are being violated rest on a belief that we can still operate a system of separation of powers in foreign affairs. This article disputes that belief: what the Iran-Contra affair reveals is not a violation of the Constitution but its unworkability.