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Assess the View That, in Practice, Presidential Power Is Restricted to Issues Relating to Foreign Policy.

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Assess the view that, in practice, presidential power is restricted to issues relating to foreign policy. The office of president today is very different from that envisaged by the framers of the constitution in 1787- the circumstances that have given rise to modern presidential power could not have been foreseen. However some argue that the office of president is one of inherent weakness rather than strength, and that the powers of the president were no guarantee that power could actually be exercised. In his view, presidential leadership was possible only when there were extraordinary crisis conditions such as depression or war. F.D. Roosevelt is often given as an example of such a president. All presidents try to keep a high …show more content…

However, as the president is chief legislator he power to shape demotic policy most legislation is initiated in the executive branch and presented to Congress in the annual state of Union Address. The president is no guaranteed to see his legislative proposals enacted into law, but he does have the constitutional power of the regular veto and can exercises a pocket veto at the end of congressional terms, Although the use of veto is a sign of weakness there have been many instants, Reagan used 635 while bush only used 12. Domestic political issues have loomed large on the horizons of a number of US presidents. It was economic issues that swept Roosevelt into the White House in 1933 and, despite the situation in South East Asia, the issue of civil rights was vitally important to Lyndon Johnson. Jimmy Carter’s administration balanced diplomacy in the Middle East with the domestic economy and deteriorating energy situation in the late 1970s. There is every sign that Barack Obama is placing the bleak economic situation at the top of his agenda, despite a number of problematic foreign policy challenges being in his in-tray when he arrived at the White House. Indeed, it would appear that on some key issues such as human rights abuses in China, the new US President is subordinating previously stated policy priorities in favor of forging stronger relations with foreign powers. Far from

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