Presidential Powers

I believe the founding fathers would be comfortable with the amount of power the president holds. In drafting the Constitution, our founders instituted a system of checks and balances so that the president would not become too power. Today, although the president does have many executive powers, there are none that would allow him to rule absolutely. For example, the president's power as a legislator is limited by congress. The president can call congress into session, veto bills, and sign bills into law but is very much limited by congress. Also, the founders wanted the executive position to still hold influence in international affairs.  His position as a diplomat allows this to happen. Negotiating with foreign nations and signing treaties, the president is the best representative of our nation in international affairs. Finally, the president's main role as chief executive allows him to oversee how federal laws are carried out, appoint supreme court justices and other public offices, and grant pardons is very similar to the roles granted by the founders in the constitution. Their intention was to make the executive office a position of influence but not so much as to rule absolutely. Today, the president continues to uphold this standard.