• The President of the United States is both head of state and head of government.The White House image by dwight9592 from Fotolia.com
  
  With the most powerful job in the executive branch of the federal government, the President of the United States has big shoes to fill. The Presidential oath to "support and defend the Constitution" translates into many different roles both foreign and domestic. The President is essentially a spokesperson for the nation, one who articulates the direction the country should go, and is responsible for figuring out how to make this vision into reality.
  
  

Appointments

• The President has the top job in the executive branch of the federal government. This branch overseees many agencies that are responsible for putting the goals of the President into action, and whose administrators and other employees are appointed by the President. Overall, the President needs to make over 1,000 appointments, including cabinet members, Supreme Court Justices, and federal agencies. All presidential appointments must be approved by the United States Senate (Article 2, Section 2 of the United States Constitution).
  
  

Commander-in-Chief

• The President is the head of the military (Article 2, Section 2 of the United States Constitution). Although the President does not always have a military background, ultimately he or she is the one who makes the decisions about where to send troops and which weapons to use. Congress authorizes wars, but the President makes the ultimate decisions about how they should be fought. Military generals and admirals take commands from the President. Since the President is a civilian, it keeps the military as a civilian-run entity, though the military-industrial complex (feared by President Eisenhower) can exercise informal influence outside of constitutional channels.
  
  

Diplomat

• The President is a spokesperson for the interests of the United States, responsible for speaking with other world leaders and helping to resolve conflicts and protect the interests of the country (Article 2, Section 2 of the United States Constitution). As a diplomat, the President attempts to maintain peace and gain allies. Other diplomats, mainly the Secretary of State, also travel around the world, spreading messages from the President. State dinners for foreign leaders at the White House are part of the protocol in connecting with other countries on social as well as policy levels.
  
  

Legislation

• While it is Congress that actually creates policy and votes on bills, the President attempts to influence the course of the debate. The President and White House staff lobby members of Congress to introduce new legislation and vote certain ways on bills. In return, the President uses his power to campaign for individual members of Congress and support issues that are important to them on the local level. The State of the Union address, mandated by the Constitution in Article 2, Section 3, plus other nationally televised Presidential speeches, can be used to influence policy and convey the wishes of the President to legislators and the public. The President is able to veto bills that he does not agree with, even if Congress, speaking for the people, has voted its approval. The veto can only be overturned with a two-thirds majority vote.