Presidential Roles

Example 1: President Bush Acting as Chief-of-State As Chief-of-State, the President of the United States is an aspiring example for the American people. Unlike other countries such as England--which have honored, respected leaders (ex: the Queen of England) who celebrate national holidays/stand for country ideals--the United States has no such leader solely for this task. Instead, the President takes up the task of Chief-of-State by making patriotic speeches, congratulating award winners, rewarding NASA astronauts, etc. …

…Exercising his role as "boss" of millions of government workers, Bush recently appointed Andrew von Eschenbach, M.D., as the new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner. Although Bush has appointed Eschenbach, a former cancer survivor and head of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), his appointment must be confirmed in the Senate. Nevertheless, in this case Bush is acting as head of the executive branch; he has the power to appoint people to government positions.