Examine the ways in which the executive branch carries out laws.

The Constitution establishes that there shall be an executive branch, headed by the president, the chief executive of the United States of America. The formal eligibility requirements for presidents are brief. Article II simply requires that a president be a “natural born Citizen” of the United States, at least thirty-five years of age, and a “resident within the United States” for fourteen years.

The president of the United States is expected to work closely and negotiate with the Congress throughout the legislative process, faithfully execute all the laws passed by the Congress, monitor and give advice to the federal courts, serve as the chief diplomat of the United States, and be the nation's commander in chief, among other things. However, because of the enormous expectations placed on presidents, the informal requirements are significant. Consequently, Americans have a “tough, unwritten code” of what they expect of their presidents. Many of these expectations are actually contradictory. We expect a president to be powerful and popular, but we are suspicious of someone who has too much power. We want a “common person” with uncommon, heroic, and visionary characteristics. We want someone who is compassionate and caring but who is also cunning and ruthless when necessary. We want our president to unify diverse interests and opinions, but we also want the president to take tough stands on issues.¹²

^12.Thomas E. Cronin and Michael A. Genovese, The Paradoxes of the American Presidency (New York: Oxford, 1998), 4.