I agree. The independent judiciary, in my opinion, is what has been largely responsible for the effectiveness of the U.S Government since it's inception. This concept of a body that can rule on the constitutionality of laws and acts was a revolutionary concept.

I want to take pains to emphasis that this is relative. Contemporary issues and criticisms aside (not to mention those raised in the article), it's a system that has served remarkably well, especially compared to its peers.

Yup, and indeed our problems have originated when we ignore the rock-paper-scissors nature of our federal government. As I mentioned in another post, we should have seen a lot more impeachments of federal officials over time.

Direct election of senators was a huge mistake that has dramatically restructured the balance of power. There were originally four branches. The state governments were way more powerful.