Ch 7 Presidency – Flashcards with Answers

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question
Which one of the powers listed below is a constitutional power that the president shares with the Senate?
answer
making treaties
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Which institutional resource is closest to the president?
answer
White House staff
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In which institutional resource are leaders both appointed by the president and approved by the Senate?
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Cabinet
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Which of these became an official presidential qualification in 1951?
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maximum of 2 terms
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What is executive privilege?
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the right to keep communications confidential to the presidency
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Who has the role of breaking a tie in the Senate?
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vice president
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Historically, vice-presidential candidates are chosen to __________.
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politically balance the ticket
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What does the Twenty-Second Amendment do?
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requires that presidents serve only two terms
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Which first lady acted as a surrogate for her partially paralyzed husband?
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Edith Bolling Galt Wilson
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Which presidential power is balanced by required approval of the Senate with a two-thirds vote?
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negotiating treaties with other nations
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Congress can remove a president through __________.
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impeachment
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Whom did the Framers expect to be the first president of the United States?
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George Washington
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What has to happen in Congress before the president can be impeached?
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The House can impeach the president by a simple majority; the Senate needs a two-thirds majority.
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Which of these presidents is arguably the first modern president?
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Franklin D Roosevelt
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Throughout most of its history, which was considered an insignificant office?
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vice president
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Which presidential oversight includes the State of the Union address?
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The president must inform and convene Congress.
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Which executive power was intended as a "qualified negative" by the Framers?
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the power to veto
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According to the Constitution, how is the president supposed to be elected?
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election through the Electoral College
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Which of the following is an example of the rally-round-the-flag effect?
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George W. Bush's popularity was boosted following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
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The use of __________ in foreign matters is an example of the president acting as a global leader.
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executive agreements
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What is the purpose of the Council of Economic Advisers?
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to advise the president on economic policy
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Which best describes the president's constitutional duty to Congress?
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The president must give Congress an occasional update on the state of the union.
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Which is one of the reasons that power and responsibility of the presidency has grown?
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The United States became a world power.
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What role was Thomas Jefferson performing as president when he made the Louisiana Purchase?
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chief executive
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What role does a president play when celebrating a national holiday?
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chief of state
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Which examines the cost implications of a proposed bill?
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Office of Management and Budget
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Why is there the potential for conflict over virtually all aspects of government?
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All constitutional powers are shared.
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In order to prevent tyranny, what did Benjamin Franklin think had to be included in the Constitution?
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a process of impeachment
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Which presidential power gives the president the ability to control what happens inside departments and agencies during their terms and to shape the federal judiciary (including the Supreme Court) far into the future?
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appointment
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Bill Clinton launching his health care reform proposals on Nightline is an example of what type of strategy?
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going public
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Presidents with high levels of __________ have an easier time influencing Congress, while those with low levels find influencing Congress more difficult.
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public approval
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Which group's major function is to help presidents execute laws and make decisions?
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the Cabinet
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Which is a group of presidential advisers? This group is too large and too diverse to serve as a collective board.
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the White House staff
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What is the role of the National Security Council?
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to advise the president on national security
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Which president set the precedent of the chief executive's prominent role in foreign affairs?
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George Washington
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How did Lincoln defend his decision to order a blockade of southern ports without the approval of Congress?
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He claimed that the inherent powers of his office allowed him to circumvent the Constitution in a time of war or national crisis.
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In which way do modern presidents differ from the original intentions of the Framers of the Constitution?
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Modern presidents are much more influential in the legislative process than the Framers originally intended.
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How might presidents use their powers of persuasion in the legislative process?
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in leading public opinion to support their policy agendas
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Why does the perception of a mandate matter in presidential politics?
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Because modern presidents are more dependent on the people for election and more involved in policy making than early presidents, they are prone to claim the mandate of the people when governing.
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How is a vice presidential vacancy filled?
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The president appoints a new vice president.
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Which of the following statements best characterizes the nature of the conflict between presidents and Congress?
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The conflict is integral to the design of the Constitution, deliberately intended by the authors of the constitution.
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Which of the following statements best describes contemporary relationships between presidents and Congress?
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They are generally antagonistic.
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How has the office of vice president changed over the years?
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The vice president has been more involved in the policy-making process in recent years than in the past.
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Which of the following leadership abilities is critical to presidential success?
answer
the ability to persuade members of Congress and the American public
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How might rallying events affect presidential politics?
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Rallying events tend to temporarily increase presidential approval ratings, providing windows of opportunity to press for action on their agendas.
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When might citizens be particularly concerned about an expansion of presidential power?
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when they oppose the president's agenda
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What would be different, with respect to the institution of the presidency, if Franklin D. Roosevelt had not won the 1932 election?
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The institution of the presidency would be less connected to the people.
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Which statement best describes Bill Clinton's veto history?
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Clinton had more vetoes overturned than John F. Kennedy.
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Based on what you know about election history, what is the most likely reason Senator John McCain chose Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008?
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Palin was more conservative than McCain.
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What distinguishes the modern presidency from the institution originally envisioned by the Framers of the Constitution?
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The modern presidency has become the central focus of American politics since the 1930s, supplanting Congress as the "first branch" of government.
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Which word best describes the language used by the Framers to describe the office of the president?
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vague
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What was the turning point that gave rise to the modern institutional presidency?
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the economic and social turmoil of the Great Depression
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Why was it significant that George Washington was the first person elected to the presidency?
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His early actions served to establish important precedents that greatly increased the political legitimacy of the office.
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What distinguishes modern presidents from early presidents?
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Modern presidents are much more active in the formulation of policy than early presidents
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How does the White House staff differ from the president's Cabinet?
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The White House staff has greater access to and more influence on the president than the Cabinet.
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Which of the following statements provides the best characterization of the members of the White House staff?
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The White House staff is composed of individuals personally and politically close to the president chosen specifically to serve the president's needs.
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Why was the Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the Constitution adopted?
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to clear up ambiguities over the constitutional provisions surrounding the role of the vice president should the president die or become incapacitated
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The number of presidential vetoes __________.
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decreased after the early 1800s
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Why was the War Powers Resolution (1973) adopted by Congress?
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to reinvigorate the role of Congress in the conduct of war
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What did the presidencies of Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln have in common?
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They were both examples of activist presidencies.
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T/F: The Senate must approve the president's appointments to leadership positions in the fifteen Cabinet departments.
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True
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T/F: The president may grant pardons to anyone convicted of a federal crime for any reason.
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True
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T/F: When a bill is sent to Congress, the president is not allowed to encourage specific members of Congress to vote for the bill.
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False
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T/F: A divided government is when the president and the majority in one or both chambers of Congress belong to different parties.
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True
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T/F: Refer to Figure 7.1. Historically, presidents begin their terms of office with higher approval ratings and tend to lose popularity over time.
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True
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T/F: Congress has the sole authority to declare war.
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True
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T/F: A president can influence policy by issuing a signing statement to comment on a signed bill, claiming that part of the bill is unconstitutional.
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True
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T/F: Most presidential vetoes are overridden.
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False
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T/F: The Constitution lays out the plan for presidential power in great detail.
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False
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T/F: Presidents must be able to persuade executive branch officials and personnel.
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True
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T/F: The Framers included a two-term limit to the presidency in the Constitution.
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False
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T/F: The Framers believed the legislature was the least dangerous branch of government.
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True
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T/F: Joan O'Leary wants to run for president. She is a natural-born citizen of the United States. She is 45 years old. She has been a resident of the United States for 10 years. Therefore, she meets the requirements to become president.
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False
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T/F: If Barack Obama wants to disapprove individual items within a spending bill rather than the bill in its entirety, he can use the line-item veto.
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False
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T/F: President Gerald R. Ford was able to pardon President Richard M. Nixon to release him from impeachment.
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False
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The idea that the president may be advised by executive branch officials in confidence without the advice becoming public is called __________.
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executive privilege
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As a result of the __________ scandal, Richard Nixon resigned to avoid impeachment and a Senate trial.
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Watergate
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The __________ address has become one of the most important tools a president can use to call attention to the presidential agenda.
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State of the Union
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A __________ is a binding and public agreement between the United States and one or more nations, requiring mutual action toward a common goal.
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treaty
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The __________ is the president's most loyal assistant who, at times, protects the president from mistakes.
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chief of staff
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The __________ is an advisory group chosen by presidents to help them make decisions and execute laws.
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Cabinet
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Appearances by Bill Clinton on Larry King Live or by Barack Obama on The Late Show with David Letterman are examples of a president __________.
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going public
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In the role of __________, presidents have argued that they have inherent power to respond to emergencies and protect the safety of Americans and the security of the United States.
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commander in chief
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Presidents tend to have __________ approval ratings at the beginning of their term.
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high
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The __________ is one of the president's most powerful weapons in dealing with Congress and is way for the president to influence law-making.
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veto
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The president would seek the advice of the __________ regarding how much the administration should propose to spend for each government program.
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Office of Management and Budget
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According to the Twenty-Fifth Amendment, if a vacancy occurs in the office of the vice president, the __________ appoints a new vice president.
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president
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According to the Constitution, __________ should be reserved for serious criminal offenses, not political conflicts.
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impeachment
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The Framers were concerned that giving the president too much power would lead to royal__________.
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domination
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After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, George W. Bush and Congress added the Department of Homeland Security to the executive body known as the __________.
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cabinet
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