Limited Government

Can a polity bind itself with a knot so complex that it can't untie it? I've long wondered about that. The theory of the state offers many puzzles that can fascinate but that in the end are insoluable. Here's one from James Madison, Federalist 51:

You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.

Well, good luck. Anthony de Jasay has devoted his scholarly career to showing that, logically, this is a lost cause. Madison was supposed to be a pretty smart fellow. Why didn't he realize that his maxim is hopeless?