| A | B |
|---|
| executive article | Article II of the Constitution |
| oath of office | oath taken by the President on the day he takes office |
| executive order | directive issued by the President having the force of law |
| executive agreement | pact made by the President with the head of a foreign state |
| line-item veto | a President's cancellation of specific dollar amounts from a Congressional spending bill |
| reprieve | postponement of the execution of a sentence |
| pardon | release from the legal consequences of a crime |
| clemency | mercy or leniency granted to an offender by the President |
| commutation | the power to reduce the length of a sentence |
| amnesty | a blanket pardon offered to a group of law violators |
| bureaucracy | a large, complex administrative structure |
| fiscal year | a 12 month period used by the government for record-keeping and budgeting |
| domestic affairs | all matters not directly related to foreign affairs |
| executive departments | the Cabinet departments |
| secretary | official in charge of a Cabinet department |
| attorney general | the head of the Department of Justice |
| independent executive agency | agencies headed by a single administrator, but lacking Cabinet status |
| independent regulatory commission | independent agencies created by Congress to regulate parts of the economy before Presidential control |
| civil service | civilian employees who perform the administrative work of the government |
| spoils system | the practice of giving governmental offices and favors to political supporters and friends |
| patronage | the practice of giving jobs to supporters and friends |
| quasi-legislative | having to do with powers that are to some extent legislative |
| quasi-judicial | having to do with powers that are to some extent judicial |
| register | a record or list of names kept by an official appointed to do so |
| bipartisan | supported by two parties |
