But Wills said history has shown the country has appreciated big government in times of crisis.

"In wartime, the public clings to leadership," he said, warning that people might even become "too docile."

Wills drew on his journalism experience during the lecture, suggesting that the press can use its role to clarify the Constitution.

With his characteristic attention to language, he used the term "co-equal branches of government" as an example of a constitutional inaccuracy.

"The idea that there is a kind of equality in the branches of government is absurd," said Wills, who called on the media to clear up common misnomers. "It has no basis in fact. The term co-equal should make the hairs on your head stand a little."

Although Wills clearly diagnosed the problem of distrust, "it would have been helpful for him to suggest some hypothetical ways to change a culture so distrustful of government," said Ron Mallis, a mid-career student at the Kennedy School of Government (KSG). "He left me hanging."

Sara G. Hamlen, also a KSG mid-career student, said she "enjoyed his cogent explanation of the usefulness of government."