[extropy-chat] morons in office

Mike Lorrey mlorrey at yahoo.com
Wed Oct 27 18:37:01 UTC 2004


--- Damien Broderick <thespike at satx.rr.com> wrote:
> 
> As a visitor to the States, I still don't really understand how much
> raw power an elected POTUS has. Finger on the nuke button, right?
Power
> to declare war or go to war without declaring it or something? Unless
> he's genuinely a compliant puppet under the control of a clever
cabal,
> or truly smart himself, this seems a recipe for doom.

He can go to war for 90 days when congress is in session without asking
for congressional approval. When congress is out of session he can do
anything he wants internationally, he can make recess appointments of
judges and other officials without needing Senate approval (Clinton
used this power quite a bit to put commies on the bench).
With natural disasters, he can declare large areas of states as
disaster areas qualified to receive FEMA funds and support, impose
National Guard control over areas, etc.

>From the US Constitution, the presidential power:
"Section 2. The President shall be commander in chief of the Army and
Navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states,
when called into the actual service of the United States; he may
require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of
the executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of
their respective offices, and he shall have power to grant reprieves
and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of
impeachment.

He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate,
to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur;
and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the
Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls,
judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United
States, whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and
which shall be established by law: but the Congress may by law vest the
appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper, in the
President alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments.

The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen
during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall
expire at the end of their next session.

Section 3. He shall from time to time give to the Congress information
of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such
measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on
extraordinary occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in
case of disagreement between them, with respect to the time of
adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper;
he shall receive ambassadors and other public ministers; he shall take
care that the laws be faithfully executed, and shall commission all the
officers of the United States.

Section 4. The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the
United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and
conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."

=====
Mike Lorrey
Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
                                      -William Pitt (1759-1806) 
Blog: http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=Sadomikeyism


		
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