Do we really *need* a president? Or have they become figureheads?

Like the royalty in England?

What would our nation become without a president? Would congress be able to handle the executive branch without one?

The people or the wealthy ruling elite/corporations?

Would corporations take over unconditionally without a president?

the war and is still there for the next three years.

I'm playing hypothetically. What would happen if we really didn't have one?

accountable. Nor does he have to listen to congress. He's making up his own rules as he goes.

What would the US be like without one?

if there is a US President.

No matter what you'd call him/her, somebody still needs to be at the top to wield executive power.

The Queen of England may be a figurehead, but if there were no Prime Minister in charge, she'd have to step in or someone would.

Yes, we need a President. I hope we get one in 2008. 'Cause we sure don't have a real one now.

annoying.

Thanks for responding.

Rules? They don't need no stinkin' rules!

As Leona Helmsley said: Only the little people pay taxes.
So Bush believes, and its corollary: Only the little people follow rules.

But then we have a Vice President instead.

Dick Cheney is channeling for two centuries worth of superfluous VPs, who are not getting their vicarious revenge by watching him run the country.... straight to hell.

OUT of jail.

Would be GREAT fireworks if he ever was indicted, during this presidency.

Congress can vote on bills, but they don't become laws until a President signs them. If there was no President, there could be no new laws, so there would be no way to overturn all of the awful laws (and Executive orders) passed over the last five years.

Smirk has been a miserable President, but he wouldn't have been able to make most of the changes he has made without a Congress which supported his agenda. The Congress passed the Smirk tax cuts, gutting the surplus. The Congress passed the resolution to invade Iraq. The Congress passed the Patriot Act. The Congress voted to make FEMA a part of the Department of Homeland Security, rather than an independent Cabinet level office. The Senate voted 98-0 to make Michael Chertoff head of Homeland Security.

A different President would have vetoed that stuff, forcing the Congress to vote to override the veto - - something that's much harder to do than pass a bill.

There's nothing wrong with the structure of our Government. The problem is quality of the people serving in that Government. We have a bunch of incompetent, out of touch yahoos in far too many offices around the country. We need competent, visionary leaders who have proven in lower offices that they know how to govern in the public interest.