Five Major Roles of the President of the United States

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Essay for exam #3 PS 101-3324 The five major roles of the president are: Head of State, Chief Executive, Commander in Chief, Chief Diplomat, and Chief Legislator of the U.S. Head of State is a role that is by and large symbolic or ceremonial. Acknowledging great accomplishments of the citizens or calming the storm when citizens are experiencing a national tragedy are some of the functions of this role. The president also visits and receives dignitaries from foreign countries as part of this position. Public exposure can be a positive feature for the President on a lot of fronts as Head of State. As Chief Executive, the president maintains the role as head of the executive branch of the government. Basically, this role grants the president the power and responsibility to make certain that all of the laws are accurately executed. Although the president may ask for opinions from executive department heads, the president is ultimately responsible. The president is the decisive decision maker in all military matters as Commander in Chief. All military leaders report to and take orders from the president. It is important to note that the president performs this duty as a civilian. Examples of this role include deciding whether to bomb foreign cities or calling out the National Guard to stop a riot. The Chief Diplomat role gives the president the power to conduct unique agreements, commonly known as treaties, with heads of state. He acknowledges foreign governments, and under the advice and consent of the Senate, basically asserts these foreign governments as credible. As Chief Legislator it is the president’s job to impact the legislation that is introduced to Congress. One of the most recognizable items of business the president does as Chief Legislator is his annual State of the Union Address. I think that at this stage of Obama’s presidential
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