What is it about the 24hr news cycle that loves a good fight? Around the world, there is genocide, war, famine but all CNN can cover is “Ballot Bowl” further shaping the sports metaphor to all things news. There seems to be a bit of a misunderstanding about what matters in a Presidential candidate.

• Presidents don’t write laws. The constitution grants this power to congress, that is their job. If a Commander-in-Chief wants legislation passed-like a vote to invade Iraq and Declare War if certain criteria are not met-he or she must write it or have it written and pass it through both houses of Congress. The Iraq war vote-written at the request of the President-was not a declaration of War, but a blank check to declare at any time.
• Presidents don’t operate in a Vacuum. There can be as many as 3,000 positions that a president is responsible for filling with appointees when entering office. Consider just the ones that require Congressional “advice and consent”: “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” US Constitution, Article 2 Section 2. This also includes the Presidents “cabinet” of trusted advisers. In other words, if you have an agenda, you could populate a large portion of the government, all 3 branches, with people to help.
• It is the President’s Job to enforce laws. As the Chief Executive, his or her primary job is to enforce the laws as passed by Congress. No Exceptions. Which is why Signing statements just burn my ass. A President may oppose a bill by Vetoing it, or can sign it into law.
• A President doesn’t have to know everything. That is what his cabinet and the rest of his staff is for. Reagan didn’t know as much about the economy as the Chairman of the Fed(another appointee), Alan Greenspan, but trusted him with the health and growth of the economy as far as the lending rate could influence it. When Sen. McCain admitted that he didn’t understand the economy, it was honest and I don’t believe that you can completely understand our economic system. That said, he better have several people on staff that do if he is elected.

When the next President is elected, his or her first job is finding people with a like-mind, whether open, partisan, political or otherwise to help us all through the mess we are in. We are voting for mind-set, philosophy, strength and character.