Despite the seemingly immense powers at the president's disposal, the president is limited in which he or she can accomplish, or even attempt. In our system of checks and balances, the president must share some powers with the legislative and judicial branches of government. And the president's power is checked not only by these institutions, but also by the media, public opinion, and the voters

Question

The founders hoped that this system of shared power would lessen the chance of tyranny. The consequence, however, has sometimes been an inability by the president to exercise decisive leadership. Secretary of Defense William Cohen once said about the American system of checks and balances, "The difficulty with this diffusion of power...is that everyone is in check, but no one is in charge." Some scholars believe the relationship between Congress and the president is the most important one in the American system of government. Congress has the upper hand in relation to the president in some distinct areas, primarily in passing legislation. In some other areas, though, particularly in foreign affairs, the president can exert tremendous power that Congress is virtually unable to check. Congress has the advantage over the president in the areas of legislative authorization, the regulation of foreign and interstate commerce, and some budgetary matters. Of course, as you have already read, the president today proposes a legislative agenda and a budget to Congress every year Nonetheless, only Congress has the power to pass the legislation and appropriate the funds. The most the president can do constitutionally is veto an entire bill if it contains something that the president does not like. The main idea of this passage is

a. the legislative branch of government shares some of the president's power.
b. Congress has little power in the area of foreign affairs.
c. the president's power is limited by a system of checks and balances.
d. the president's power is held in check by voters.

Answer 1

c