# Urgent Homework Help! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 3, 2013, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708 "2013-04-03T06:57:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JARojas4244](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d9b06d/32.png) [@JARojas4244](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JARojas4244)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708/1 "2013-04-03T06:57:46Z")
I’m in desperate need for some clarification on this essay question. I do not really follow politics nor have I had government in over two years either. Contrast the role of the president and the US Senate in terms of their ability to affect the national security agendas of the United States? Which institution has more power? Why? Thanks in advance for any answers/replies. ---
**Author:** ![Scholar\_Beardpig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@Scholar\_Beardpig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scholar_Beardpig)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708/2 "2013-04-03T07:10:53Z")
We don’t give homework help here, my friend. You will find your time better served doing original research, rather than refreshing this page. ---
**Author:** ![bot3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@bot3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bot3)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708/3 "2013-04-03T11:02:49Z")
The OP isn’t asking for us to do the assignment but only some insight. That said, I’m no expert nor Ron I follow politics much either. FWIW…the Pesident by virtue his power and resources can yeild a bit more power. However, the Senate if working as a unit can counter or make policy and over-ride a President. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708/4 "2013-04-03T11:59:34Z")
Heh, I actually know this one. ---
**Author:** ![PacifistPorcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PacifistPorcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PacifistPorcupine)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708/5 "2013-04-03T12:39:58Z")
Posted at 3am… let me guess, due today? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708/6 "2013-04-03T13:13:08Z")
Can you clarify your request for clarification? What part of this question is giving you problems? This is a pretty straightforward question. You need to look at: 1. The President’s national security role. 2. The Senate’s national security role. The question is only asking you to contrast, so that’s pretty straightforward. The second part asks for your opinion on who has more power. So long as you back up your argument with good data, I’m sure you’ll do fine. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708/7 "2013-04-03T13:31:17Z")
The first step would be to go to the original source, the Constitution, and see what powers are set out for the President and for Congress (and for the Senate specifically, but most of the powers are shared between the two houses). The next step would be to dig up the history of various national security actions to see how those designated powers have actually played out. Be on the especial lookout for cases where the President and the Senate wanted different things, and who got their way (or more of their way) in those cases. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708/8 "2013-04-03T13:31:43Z")
Dude’s not coming back - his last activity was 3 minutes after **Scholar Beardpig’s** post. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708/9 "2013-04-03T15:10:09Z")
> [@bot3](#): > > The OP isn’t asking for us to do the assignment but only some insight. Really? He’s asking for “answers”. But it’s a really interesting question. I’ll do some research and get back to you (OP) in a few days. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708/10 "2013-04-03T15:13:24Z")
Mr. Rojas, I assigned the _even_ questions on page 281, not the _odd_ ones. Please re-read the syllabus before doing the assignment. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708/11 "2013-04-03T15:30:39Z")
Since this is about agendas and not actions there’s no answer. It’s up to the particular president and senate and their efforts to set or affect an agenda. That’s what Checks and Balances is about, denying ultimate power to any branch of government. It all plays out in the mix. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708/12 "2013-04-03T16:22:48Z")
> [@JARojas4244](#): > > I’m in desperate need for some clarification on this essay question. I do not really follow politics nor have I had government in over two years either. > > Contrast the role of the president and the US Senate in terms of their ability to affect the national security agendas of the United States? Which institution has more power? Why? > > Thanks in advance for any answers/replies. **Beardpig** is right in that we don’t normally help people do their homework, but I’ve taken pity on you, and I’m making an exception in your case. First of all you need to understand that the President needs a 3/4th majority vote in the senate in order to pass laws, but any laws he passes can be vetoed by the FFDCA. That being said, the Cabinet of Representatives doesn’t need approval in order to issue commands to the military, even without a formal declaration of war made by the Supreme Court, which is why the United States hasn’t officially been at war since the Hundred Years War. So in terms of contrasting their respective powers, the Senate is really more of a collection of figureheads, whereas the President and his War Cabinet are the real drivers of security policy. Overall I’d say the President has the more power, though the 1975 Access to Information Act did siphon some of that away from the position. Hope this helped. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708/13 "2013-04-03T16:27:38Z")
You are an awful, awful person. Come sit over here with the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708/14 "2013-04-03T16:30:15Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > **Beardpig** is right in that we don’t normally help people do their homework, but I’ve taken pity on you, and I’m making an exception in your case. > > First of all you need to understand that the President needs a 3/4th majority vote in the senate in order to pass laws, but any laws he passes can be vetoed by the FFDCA. That being said, the Cabinet of Representatives doesn’t need approval in order to issue commands to the military, even without a formal declaration of war made by the Supreme Court, which is why the United States hasn’t officially been at war since the Hundred Years War. So in terms of contrasting their respective powers, the Senate is really more of a collection of figureheads, whereas the President and his War Cabinet are the real drivers of security policy. Overall I’d say the President has the more power, though the 1975 Access to Information Act did siphon some of that away from the position. Hope this helped. But what about the influence of the 1959 Senate Enchiridion of Memes and Kennedy’s subsequent citation of it in support of the pre-emptive Bay of Pigs counterstrategy? Surely this must be considered. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708/15 "2013-04-03T16:35:43Z")
And what’s the role of the Electrical College? ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708/16 "2013-04-03T16:37:32Z")
You forgot to mention that in case of a tie, Joe Biden, as president pro temp of the Senate, has to bareknuckle box any representatives from the other side in order to cast his tie-breaking vote. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708/17 "2013-04-03T16:39:23Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > And what’s the role of the Electrical College? Even _I_ have trouble remembering what it’s for, but I do know that it’s made up of Electric Counts. ---
**Author:** ![Celidin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Celidin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celidin)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708/18 "2013-04-03T16:44:49Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Even _I_ have trouble remembering what it’s for, but I do know that it’s made up of Electric Counts. No, no, remember - the electoral college is where Senators go during their first 2 years of their 12 year term to learn how to be a senator and earn their BS degree.\* This is where the term for the degree a lot of college grads get started back in 1776 with the signing of the Declaration of Independence - it was enshrined into law in that document. It was only after this point that other colleges and universities stole the idea of granting their graduates a “BS” degree, to make them seem equal to the senators. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708/19 "2013-04-03T16:50:27Z")
> [@Celidin](#): > > No, no, remember - the electoral college is where Senators go during their first 2 years of their 12 year term to learn how to be a center and earn their BS degree. We weren’t talking about the Electoral College. Looks like those years of remedial civil engineering were wasted! ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708/20 "2013-04-03T16:53:57Z")
_raises hand_ May I please be excused? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-homework-help/654708.md?page=2)