Is the US President Merely a Figurehead?

I beg that question to all my readers, and I am sure it is one that will spark up different reactions among different readers.  If a President doesnt try to follow through on campaign promises there is always an excuse that he cant do it (or anything else) alone, that he has no power to exert the authority of his office if it might upset the status quo.  Many Presidents make commitments to get elected and yet they never seem to follow up on these commitments.  The short answer to this is that things are much easier said than done, times change, as does the solution to problems.  Because of the US system of government it is much easier to speak about reforms than to actually implement them in practice.

Now another common argument from the right wing is that Obama is taking credit for the death of Osama bin Laden and that he is not deserving of this credit.  These same right-wingers are the ones who believe that George Bush, yes Bush, deserves credit for the now 2+ year later capture of bin Laden.  Their argument does raise a strong point, however, and carry some weight with it, that perhaps we attribute too much of the successes of the military to the President, when his actual role is not all that important.  Sure, Obama is the "decider" to use Bush's terms, and the decision does ultimately come down to him, but how often is he just repeating the suggestions of his advisers, cabinet, and intelligence officers who are far more qualified in the specialty fields?  While this may be true in certain cases, it has been reported that there was not total agreement in the White House on the capture/death of bin Laden, and ultimately the decision was Obama's and his alone.  I think we can more or less come to a consensus that he made the correct decision.  It is also important to remember that Obama has at no point tried to take credit for Osama's death; he made sure to say that it was a joint effort and that everyone involved was equally as critical in the success of the mission.  So while I do believe that at many times the job of the President today may be undermined by the fact that his sources of advice are stronger than ever, the role is still crucial and because he must take all responsibility for the decisions made, it is not merely a figurehead role.


Bradford Dewitt