major factors determine the way presidents exert power at any given time. A president needs opportunities for using power. Presidents have employed their powers most fully in visible major crises, such as the Civil War and the world wars, and in grave economic emergency such as the Great Depression of the 1930s, when one-fourth of the workforce was unemployed. When crises are less obvious, as in the energy crisis of the 1970s, the president may have difficulty persuading the public and Congress of the necessity for serious action.The President has roles that were not stated in the constitution, chief of party, and the media. The president relies heavily on his personal and political skills for these roles. Personality characteristics cause a president to work very hard, but without being attuned to public sentiment. The strivings of these individuals may become so compulsive as to lead to the rigid and futile pursuit of a policy. President Wilson, for example, took an absolute stand on the League of Nations, rejecting compromises that might have saved much of his project in the Senate. How the president uses power may also depend on the president's own conception of the office. Some presidents, such as Buchanan or Taft have interpreted their powers narrowly, declining to act unless power was specifically granted in the Constitution or in statutes. At the other extreme are the presidents who, like Roosevelt, felt constrained in their positions only by what is expressly forbidden by the Constitution. Public opinion has a great impact on the president’s decisions, s/he can not make all people happy with one decision. Often president’s have to consider their actions effects on their political party. The presidential office is protected by a rigorous impeachment procedure. Conviction requires a two-thirds vote of the senators present. President Nixon, facing impeachment and almost certain conviction, became the fi...
