| A | B |
|---|
| Bully pulpits | the ability to use the office of the presidency to promote a particular program and/or to influence Congress to accept legislative proposals. |
| Cabinet | part of the "unwritten Constitution," it was first established by George Washington and includes federal departments such as state, defense etc. |
| Chief executive | used to describe the president. Powers found in Article II of the Constitution. |
| Executive office of the president | created by Franklin Roosevelt in 1939; it has four major policy making bodies today—the National Security Council, the Council of Economic Advisors, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy. |
| Imperial presidency | term developed by historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr.; refers to presidents who dominate the political and legislative agenda. |
| Line item veto | policy that would allow the president to veto selectively what he considers unnecessary spending items contained in legislation. |
| National Security Council | chaired by the president, it is the lead advisory board in the area of national and international security. The other members of the council include the vice president, secretaries of state and defense, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and chair of the joint chiefs of staff. |
| Pocket veto | rejection of legislation that occurs if the president does not sign a bill within 10 days and the Congress also adjourns within the same time period. |
| Riders | amendments to bills, often in the form of appropriations, that sometimes have nothing to do with the intent of the bill itself and many times are considered to be pork barrel legislation. |
| Senatorial courtesy | policy that gives senators the right to be notified by the president of pending judicial nominations. Once informed, the approval of the senators from the state from which the judge comes is obtained and the appointment process moves on. |
| Trial balloons | selective leaks aimed at testing the political waters |
| White House staff | managed by the White House Chief of Staff, who directly advises the president on a daily basis |
