  Following the approach of Grignani and Nardelli [1], we show how to cast the
two-dimensional model $L \sim curv^2 + torsion^2 + cosm.const$ -- and in fact
any theory of gravity -- into the form of a Poincare gauge theory. By means of
the above example we then clarify the limitations of this approach: The
diffeomorphism invariance of the action still leads to a nasty constraint
algebra. Moreover, by simple changes of variables (e.g. in a path integral) one
can reabsorb all the modifications of the original theory.
