What should a president to do?

[ksnecktieman]

What do you want a president to do?

I want him to look at any law that comes before him for his signature, and compare it to the US constitution, and BOR, and if it is compatible, he should sign it. If it is "repugnant"? to the constitution is the only reason he should veto it. We have lawmakers to create laws, and we select them ourselves. I do not think one man should impose his opinion as final on the law making process.

I want him to be the face of the American people, and the voice of the American people to deal with leaders of other countries. I do not want him to deal with them guided totally by his opinions. I want him to deal with them using the opinions of the american people.

I do not want him to make laws by presidential executive orders. That is an emergency override, and should be an exceptional occurrence. If/when he thinks a law should be written, he should either address the fact to the senate, or have a press conference requesting public support, and public action to initiate it.

I think his most important act as president is the appointment of US Supreme Court judges. I think his main criteria for selection should be their understanding and support of the constitution, as it was written. IMHO The words of the constitution have not acquired new meaning in the last 200 years. When the first amendment guaranteed free speech, at the time it was a quill pen on parchment, and how loud you could yell, now free speech is radio, television, and internet. When the second amendment was written the term "arms" meant muzzleloading firearms, now it means saturday night specials and machine guns. The meaning of the words have not changed.

I do not think GW Bush started this war we are fighting. I think this war has been going on for years. I think history will say that this war started when the marine barracks in Beirut was bombed, or when the destroyer Cole was attacked. What GW did was respond to a multitude of attacks on our country with force. The only response our attackers will understand.

I did not vote "against John Kerry" I voted for GW Bush, because I think he has shown me in the last four years that he knows what I want from my president. If his next four years go as well as his last four years I think history will consider him one of our greatest presidents.

 

[Lone_Gunman]

I think you are very, very confused, as at least two of your statements contradict each other.

I want him to look at any law that comes before him for his signature, and compare it to the US constitution, and BOR, and if it is compatible, he should sign it. If it is "repugnant"? to the constitution is the only reason he should veto it.

Ok, so you think he should veto something he thinks is unconstitutional. I agree.

Now look at this:

I voted for GW Bush, because I think he has shown me in the last four years that he knows what I want from my president.

I am not trying to be derogatory, but either you really don't believe in your first quote, or you didn't pay attention to the Bush presidency.

The McCain-Feingold Law (campaign finance reform) is clearly a violation of free speech. Bush even agreed, and is on record saying this is "probably unconstitutional". He signed it anyway. He signed a law something he felt in his heart violated the Constitution. The significance of this cannot be overstated. We have a president willing to sign things he knows are unconstitutional. This does not give me a lot of faith with him when it comes to the rest of the Bill of Rights.

Although I am bashing Bush on this issue (which he clearly deserves), I ended up voting for him anyway. Kerry was just not acceptable.

 

[Hal]

i'd be giddy with happiness if all he did was cut the Whitehouse grass, rake the leaves and shovel snow...

Give him a pager, a snow shovel, a lawn tractor and a rake and turn him loose with instructions to "Don't do anything unless we page you".

If he needs help,,,then call out congress to lend a hand..

P.S. I ain't kidding.

 

[Gary H]

I have very low expectations and I fully expect Bush to meet them.

Not kiss Ted Kennedy's liberal agenda. Probably won't get this one.

Kill the bad guys. No, not the ones that you are thinking about...just Muslim Extremist.

Ohhh.. state that this is a war with "MUSLIM EXTREMIST". No mystery..just stating the obvious. Probably won't happen, although Kerry did say it.

Stop Iran from nuking someone in the future. The future is long..or short depending on the outcome of this one. What ever happened to North Korea? Did we pound them into submission and they gave up their nukes? That must be what happened, because you just don't hear much regarding North Korea. I guess that we just hope that China will do something and Seoul won't glow.

Kick butt and get out of Iraq. No, not our own butts by being overly political and as a result killing more U.S. soldiers. We have fostered more resistance by repeatedly backing down. Can anyone say Falluja?

Other than that, I have a long list of unrealistic hopes, but they will not be answered.

 

[Bob Locke]

I have very low expectations and I fully expect Bush to meet them.

Pretty much what I was thinking.

Which president used to send bills back to the Congress with the words:

"I find no authority in the Constitution for the government to undertake that which is outlined in this bill."

More of that sort of thing would be nice, but Bush is making the same mistake Reagan did: beefing up military spending (which is GOOD) by trading off increased social spening to the Democrats to get it (which is BAD), resulting in huge deficits that our children and grandchildren (at least) will have to pay for (which is even WORSE).

Additional trivia: How many bills has the current president vetoed in his first term?

 

[Gary H]

I know.. the same number of times as the number of terms that Kerry will serve as top dog.

 

[Lone_Gunman]

Bob, I can answer your second question... zero.

But who was the president who made the quote you posted??? We need to dig that man back up and put him in the White House.

 

[JerryM]

I have high expectations and expect that they will be met in general.

Quote:
I want him to look at any law that comes before him for his signature, and compare it to the US constitution, and BOR, and if it is compatible, he should sign it. If it is "repugnant"? to the constitution is the only reason he should veto it. end quote

I wonder if you really mean that? I do not agree with that statement. The president should veto anything that he does not think is good for the nation. If he were sent a law that everyone should have equal access to healthcare, for instance, regardless of the cost, and that taxes must be raised to fund that, would you want him to sign it? There is nothing in the Constitution that covers that with any specificity. Your idea of what is repugnant is not necessarily the standard that many would accept.

Jerry

 

[Bob Locke]

But who was the president who made the quote you posted??? We need to dig that man back up and put him in the White House.

That was Calvin Coolidge. I think he still holds the records for most vetoes by any president.

IMO, totally underappreciated by historians. He did more to curb the expansion of government than any president I can recall.

Unfortunately, the present administration has done MORE to expand the government than even the preceding one.