When speaking of the Executive Branch, one immediately thinks of the President of the United States. Elected to enforce federal law, the president is the head of both the executive branch and is the single most powerful person in the country, if not the world. The Executive Branch itself is composed of four parts: 1) the President, 2) the Vice-President, 3) the Departments and 4) Independent Agencies.

"The Leader of the Free World"

The figure of the president has experiences different eras since its creationat the 1789 Constitutional Convention. While some of the Founders, namely Hamilton, thought it wise to create a monarch-like executive with life tenure, Washington declined the title of "king" and followed the more democratic consensus, giving us the form of government we have today.

So, You Wanna Be President?

The President of the United States has roughly 4 million people at their command, 1 million of them being active-duty military personnel. As such, before getting your name on the ballot, there are a few things one should know:

• One must be a natural born American citizen, 35 years of age, and have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years.

• The President "shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." The articles of impeachment originate in the House with a majority vote and the case is heard by the U.S. Senate with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presiding. If two-thirds of the Senate vote in favor, the President is removed from office.

• As of 1951 with the passage of the 22nd Amendment, the President is restricted to two term limits of 4 years each, totaling 8 years in office.

• As President, one receives an annual compensation of $400,000, with benefits.

• The United States is a Republic, not a Democracy, so simply winning a majority of votes doesn't quite get you a seat in the Oval Office. There is the popular vote, which is a simple majority to win; however, the Electoral College has a mighty sway in an election. Each state has a group of electors based on the number of House Representatives and Senators combined. Typically, the winner of the popular vote in a state is given all of the Electoral votes. The Electoral College has caused many to claim that one vote doesn't count. Indeed it does; however, you may not be voting for President, but rather, voting for an Electors vote.

Constitutional Powers of the President

Under Article Two of the Constitution, the president is given powers in two arenas:

Powers as Head of State

• serve as Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces; Congress retains the power to declare war.

• negotiate and make treaties, with two-thirds consent of the Senate.

• receive foreign ambassadors and dignitaries

• appoint ambassadors, Supreme Court justices, federal judges, and any officials provided for by the Congress, with approval by the Senate.

• give Congress an annual State of the Union Address.

• recommend legislation to Congress, convene/dismiss the Congress on extraordinary occasions, and fill administrative vacancies during Congressional recesses.

• grant pardons for offences.

Powers and Limitations with Congress

• The Veto: when a bill passes through both Houses of Congress it goes to the White House for approval. The president may either approve, veto, or abstain. In the first case, the proposed bill becomes law, in the second, the bill is sent back to Congress, where two-thirds of each House must vote in favor of an override. In the third case, there are two possible outcomes; if Congress is in session ten days after the bill was sent to the President and still has not been acted on, the bill becomes law. However, if Congress is adjourned prior to the ten day deadline and the president hasn't acted on the bill, it is effectively "killed" with the president's pocket veto, allowing Congress no counter-action. The president is restricted from using a line-item veto, that is, removing selected parts of a bill before signing; the proposed bill is either fully approved, or fully rejected.

• War Powers: Though the president is the figurehead of the U.S. military, only Congress can declare and authorize use of force.

All the President's Men

Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution says that the President "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..." Presently, this clause has taken the form of the President's "Cabinet".

President Bush with members of his Cabinet

The Cabinet

Cabinet members are appointed by the president and subject to the confirmation of the Senate; as their terms are not fixed, they may be replaced at any time by the president. At a change in administration, it is customary for cabinet members to resign, but they remain in office until successors are appointed.

The Executive Office of the President

The EOP consists of the immediate staff of the President and several other support offices. Established in 1939 by the Brownlow Committee in Congress, the Office has since become a large bureaucracy of 1,800 full-time employees working in the East and West Wings as well as their EOP's official home, the Executive Office Building (formerly the Office to the State, Navy and War).

The EOP is headed by the White House Chief of Staff. Senior members of the EOP hold the title of "Assistant to the President," with second-level members titled "Deputy Assistant to the President," and third-level designated "Special Assistant to the President". While many of the EOP staff do not require Senate approval, they often have strong pre-election ties to the President and share his political ideology.

Order of Presidential Succession

Should the President be unable to run his office due to incapacitation, conviction through impeachment, death, or resignation, the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 ranks his successors as follows:

• Vice President of the United States - Dick Cheney
• Speaker of the House of Representatives - Nancy Pelosi
• President of the Senate pro tempore - Robert Byrd
• Secretary of State - Condoleezza Rice
• Secretary of the Treasury - Henry Paulson
• Secretary of Defense - Robert Gates
• Attorney General -
• Secretary of the Interior - Dick Kempthorne
• Secretary of Agriculture - Mike Johanns
• Secretary of Commerce - Carlos Gutierrez (Ineligible: not natural born citizen)
• Secretary of Labor - Elaine Chao (Ineligible: not natural born citizen)
• Secretary of Health and Human Services - Michael Leavitt
• Secretary of Housing and Urban Development - Alphonso Jackson
• Secretary of Transportation - Mary Peters
• Secretary of Energy - Samuel Bodman
• Secretary of Education - Margaret Spellings
• Secretary of Veterans Affairs - Jim Nicholson
• Secretary of Homeland Security - Michael Chertoff