American Politics Final Briefing He Research Proposal

As the world economy grows increasingly interconnected, the president's role as Chief Diplomat and Chief Executive will grow further intertwined.

The President is also Commander in Chief of the nation's armed forces. However, given that you are a former law professor, you know that Congress has the official power to declare war. Many Commanders-in-Chief have attempted to circumvent that power, of course, such as when Lyndon Johnson used the Gulf of Tonkin resolution to vastly expand American involvement in Vietnam. But given your respect for the Constitution, you will surely honor Congress' Constitutional role, even while you also show respect for the U.S. military, and the valiant efforts of the men and women who serve in uniform.

Your role as Chief Crisis Manager will hopefully not be a presidential 'hat' you will have to wear very often, as was the case for George Bush during 9/11 and Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the bombing of Pearl Harbor.However, to be prepared, you must -- as you have -- keep your reputation as 'no drama Obama' -- namely a man who is calm during a crisis intact. Crises may come not just abroad, but also from within, as the American economy still stands on shaky grounds and natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina are inevitable. Accentuating the positive, as in the case of the results of bank stress tests, but dealing with the negative in an open fashion, such as the fact that the recovery of the American economy has not been as speedy as we all might have hoped will instill confidence in the hearts of the public without looking disingenuous.

Works Cited

Ghitis, Frida. "World Citizen: Obama must parlay soft power gains into real results"

World Politics Review. April 9, 2009. http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/article.aspx?id=3587.....