§ Exposition

§ ≡ A section of Preserve, Protect, and Defend: Faithfully Executing the Office of the President
{T•of•C « Section 1 » Section 2.1}

What are the requisite personal qualities for an effective President of the United States (POTUS)? We (Wifey and I) believe that this is an important question for Americans to ponder [with an "o" not an "a"] in a Presidential election year. In this forthcoming series of posts we intend to present any conclusions we may reach in the process of researching, pondering, discussing, and debating this important consideration.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, we excerpt the following introduction:

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political office in [the] United States by influence and recognition. The President is at the head of the executive branch of the federal government, whose role is to enforce national law as given in the Constitution and written by Congress. Article Two of the Constitution establishes the President as commander-in-chief of the armed forces and enumerates powers specifically granted to the President, including the power to sign into law or veto bills passed by both houses of Congress. The President also has the power to create a cabinet of advisers and to grant pardons or reprieves. Finally, with the "advice and consent" of the Senate, the President is empowered to make treaties and appoint federal officers, ambassadors, and federal judges, including Justices of the Supreme Court. As with officials in the other branches of the United States government, the Constitution restrains the President with a set of checks and balances designed to prevent any individual or group from taking absolute power.

This excellent summary of the powers and duties of the POTUS will serve as our point of departure for our series of essays.