Presidential Power

Time:

With Cheney's renouncing presidential ambitions, it is known in advance that the Bush Administration will die in January 2009 without an heir. What does that mean? Late in Bush's term, it will mean terminal lame duckness, even more powerlessness than most late presidencies experience. Who, after all, will be around later to reward and punish? No one. But early in Bush's second term, the fact that Bush-Cheneyism will never have to seek popular ratification again gives Bush unique freedom of action. Which, in the hands of a President with unusually ambitious goals, will yield perhaps the most energetic — to some, the most dangerous — presidency of our lifetime.

This situation leaves Bush incredibly free to act without political considerations. I consider this to be a good thing, but I can certainly see why those who fear Bush's policies would be nervous. The next four years a likely to hold a lot of changes, probably the most dramatic since the '80s. Certainly the last four years have been busy, but all of the radical changes were in the foreign policy arena. The next four years will see a continuation, perhaps even an escallation of that sort of thing along with signifigant changes in domestic concerns.