The late U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, who advocated soft power, would have nodded in his tomb if he heard President Ma Ying-jeou saying Monday that those with power should know restraint when exercising it. Paraphrasing Jefferson's quote of 1815 that 'the less we use our power, the greater it will be, ' Ma made the comments during a meeting with the representatives of the Judges Association of the Republic of China (Taiwan) at the Presidential Office. He told them he has in the past expressed reservations about appeals from several civic groups to preside over judicial reforms by setting up a committee under his office. 'I don't want to make the Office of the President a supreme executive organization,' the president said. Under the Constitution, the president is chief of state, while the premier heads the government. Judicial reform such as the protection of human rights does not always require legislation or promulgation by the president. It can sometimes simply be a case of setting precedent, said the president, who holds a doctorate in law from Harvard. However, the president complained that his reluctance to interfere with the judiciary is often held up by critics as evidence that he is 'spineless.' 'My efforts to keep the judiciary free from interference have sometimes not gone down well with those who do not see eye to eye with me on the meaning of justice,' Ma observed. The president touted his administration's efforts to end investigators' illegal eavesdropping, adding that eavesdropping should only be conducted when absolutely necessary and legal. Ever since investigators have had to seek court approval to carry out eavesdropping, the numbers of eavesdropping applications have fallen significantly, he said. The president also promised to support the association's bid to host the 2011 annual conference of the International Association of Judges (IAJ). Noting that the IAJ is one of only a few international non-government organizations to which the country has been admitted under its official name of Republic of China, the president said Taiwan can use the occasion to enhance its international profile and showcase the independence of its judiciary. 