My powers of the president essay~2008 Question~Higher Modern Studies

Assess the effectiveness of Congress and the Supreme Court in checking the powers of
the President.~Question

The Powers of the President

In the US political system, the constitution lays down the rules that mean there is separation of the powers. The Executive branch (president) is entirely separate from the legislative Branch (congress), and both of these branches are closely monitored by the judicial branch (the Supreme Court). The constitution also lays down the powers of the branches and the checks and balances that are in place to ensure that no branch of the government can become to powerful. In this essay I am going to asses the effectiveness of congress and the Supreme Court in checking the powers of the president.

The president has a number of powers that arguably make him the most powerful elected person in the democratic world. First of all the president is commander in chief of the US armed forces if the USA had to go to war like Afghanistan or Iraq back in the days of president Bush then he as the president is able to command a large number of troops and equipment and can successfully prosecute a war. However Obama has been different and in fact he has made a pledge of peace, he has also organised the Assassination of bin laden. However he was highly criticised by the Pakistani government for not informing them of the raid on the compound therefore as Chief Diplomat he has the responsibility to do so. The president cannot willingly declare war on anyone or any country due to the fact that the senate controls that ability to openly declare war, therefore this is a limitation of his power. Also it is the senate’s responsibility to allocate funds to said war; this is also another limit of the president’s power.

The president can put forward new laws, for example President Obama has tried to close a prison in a small area of Cuba called Guantanamo Bay, however he has failed to do so, the congress must approve this. So therefore this is another limitation of Obama’s powers as president of the USA.

The president appoints the members of the government and controls the civil service that moves the day to day business of the country. He can decide who he wants in various departments of the government, for example George Bush appointed Colin Powell as Secretary of State and President Obama appointed Hilary Clinton as Secretary of State. However all of these appointments have to be agreed by the senate, and congress has the ability to carry out any investigation and Government for example a recent investigation was taken place in a detention camp and Guantanamo Bay.

The president is the chief Legislator in that he can put forward a legislative program and suggest proposals for a budget to fund this. Every bill that is passed by congress also has to go to the president, who can veto any proposal he does not like, however congress has to pass his laws and his budget, and congress can overturn his veto by two thirds majority in both houses.

The president has some authority in the judicial branch in that he is the one who chooses the justices for the Supreme Court. He can choose judges who have the same political views as he does and so may be able to influence their decisions. However the senate must approve his appointments and some presidents may not get to appoint any during there term of office. Obama has appointed two people two females to the Supreme Court in his time in office.

In conclusion the president of the USA has many powers that may makes him the most powerful elected official in the democratic world. But there are many checks and balances that are in place, so therefore Congress is very affective in checking the powers of the president.

I was wondering what people thought of this essay. I know has grammar and spelling issues but other than that what is your general thoughts on this essay?

Thanks.

(edited 11 years ago)