[Octo]

I'm from Canada and I've been watching some of the coverage of the preliminaries in the states and I have a question to someone from the states that has more knowledge of the american political system.

Since to my understanding George W. Bush wasn't legally elected to his current term, does that mean if, a rather big IF, he is elected for a first legal term, that he could be re-elected for a second legal term and a total of three?

[Apple Pro Underwear]

this is his current term.

his next term will be #2.

there is no 3rd.

[Apple Pro Underwear]

holy googly moogly, please go let there be on 2nd.


did i just jinx America!?

[maebug]

oh dear god let's hope not >.<

since the supreme court made the decision that put him there, he was legally elected... technically.

but that's an interesting thought & one that will keep me up at night.

[nonhuman]

As far as I know, the law isn't that a president can't be elected to more than two terms, it's that a president can't serve more than two terms, whether elected or not. I'm not completely sure though, I think a president or two might have served a third term having gotten into office the first time because they were the vice president and something happened to the president. A second opinion would probably be a good idea, though.

[Agasthya]

Like it or not, GWB was elected as President. Albeit by the Electoral College, but thats all that counts.

[docbud]

Or is the law that a president can't serve more than two consecutive terms?

[BlackGriffen]

Ahem.

Amendment XXII


Section 1. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.

Section 2. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states within seven years from the date of its submission to the states by the Congress.

BG

[BRussell]

No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.

[BlackGriffen]

Originally posted by docbud:
Or is the law that a president can't serve more than two consecutive terms?

Nothing personal, but let me guess, you're a product of the US's public education system, aren't you?

BG

[CheesePuff]

Originally posted by docbud:
Or is the law that a president can't serve more than two consecutive terms?

in fear of looking like an idiot i will not edit my post and let the two posters above me answer your question.

[CheesePuff]

Originally posted by BlackGriffen:
Nothing personal, but let me guess, you're a product of the US's public education system, aren't you?

BG

But really, like that would even help him here? I mean, you did say US public education right?

[BlackGriffen]

Originally posted by CheesePuff:
Well, I don't believe its a law (probably wrong though) but its "customary" that a president only serves two terms, as it was this way from the start.

BG

[Krusty]

It is a relatively young law, however ... passed in 1951 -- after FDR was elected 4 times in a row from 32-44. Closest thing we've had to a leader "for life".

[SimeyTheLimey]

Originally posted by nonhuman:
I think a president or two might have served a third term having gotten into office the first time because they were the vice president and something happened to the president.

Not to my knowledge. The closest would have been Lyndon Johnson. Had he run again and been reelected in 1968, he would have served 9 years. He was elected VP in 1960, became president in 1963, and was reelected in 1964. He was still eligible to run again in 1968 when he withdrew.

Obviously, the Constitution was amended after FDR and his 4 terms (3 completed). But I think most people are agreed that if it wasn't for WW-II and the depression, he would have bowed to the tradition established by Washington and not run for a third term. The interesing thing is that every recent ex-president has agreed that it was a mistake to amend the Constitution and ban 3d terms outright. It makes a sitting president a lame duck as soon as he is reelected. Secondly, it's antidemocratic. If people want to elect a president to a third term, they should be able to.

[GG Allin]

Originally posted by SimeyTheLimey:
The interesing thing is that every recent ex-president has agreed that it was a mistake to amend the Constitution and ban 3d terms outright. It makes a sitting president a lame duck as soon as he is reelected. Secondly, it's antidemocratic. If people want to elect a president to a third term, they should be able to.

I agree with Simey here. Term limits or any arbitrary limits are a miserable way to steer democracy. Although in the case of the presidency you could say that a vice president would "generally" carry on the policies of their president.

Anarchy.

[daimoni]

Originally posted by maebug:
since the supreme court made the decision that put him there, he was legally elected... technically.

Actually, he was 'legally' selected.

There is a difference.

[Spliffdaddy]

the difference is you're wrong.

[theolein]

Originally posted by BlackGriffen:
Ahem.

Amendment XXII


Section 1. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.

Section 2. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states within seven years from the date of its submission to the states by the Congress.

BG

It's a good thing people don't analyse this with the same logic as they do the 2nd amendment.

[Spliffdaddy]

[Octo]

Thanks for all the replies, it certainly cleared up a few items.

Good to see that the maximum that we will see George W. Bush in power for is another four year term. We shouldn't see another Bush in the White House, until one of his daughters gets elected. We won't have to worry about holy oil wars then. Mexico might have to look out if the have a slow down in Tequila though.

[vmarks]

Originally posted by Octo:
Thanks for all the replies, it certainly cleared up a few items.

Good to see that the maximum that we will see George W. Bush in power for is another four year term. We shouldn't see another Bush in the White House, until one of his daughters gets elected. We won't have to worry about holy oil wars then. Mexico might have to look out if the have a slow down in Tequila though.

So, you don't think P has a chance or ambition?

[Lerkfish]

Originally posted by Octo:
Thanks for all the replies, it certainly cleared up a few items.

Good to see that the maximum that we will see George W. Bush in power for is another four year term. We shouldn't see another Bush in the White House, until one of his daughters gets elected. We won't have to worry about holy oil wars then. Mexico might have to look out if the have a slow down in Tequila though.

actually, republicans are just imperial enough to nominate Jeb Bush next go 'round.

[Fanatic]

Originally posted by SimeyTheLimey:
Secondly, it's antidemocratic. If people want to elect a president to a third term, they should be able to.

I agree completely... if the people are willing to vote the President into a third term, he/she is obviously doing something right (or is very good at covering up the BS).

[Fanatic]

Originally posted by Lerkfish:
actually, republicans are just imperial enough to nominate Jeb Bush next go 'round.

LOL. Not if they have a bit of sense, they won't... Jeb would be a sure loser, IMO.

[Lerkfish]

Originally posted by Fanatic:
LOL. Not if they have a bit of sense, they won't... Jeb would be a sure loser, IMO.

Perhaps in the general election. But as we've found, that doesn't mean diddly.

[Millennium]

GWB was, in fact, legally elected. This has been documented in a court of law, which, given that this is a legal matter, is all that matters. Even if it should someday be found that he was not legally elected, it would probably still count.

Here's the deal with "three-term Presidents" and such. A President can now only be elected twice (it was not always this way, though only Roosevelt ever managed to be elected more than twice even before the term limit was set). However, there is a special circumstance under which a President can serve up to ten years total. This can only happen when a President dies (or otherwise leaves office) more than halfway into his term. The VP then becomes President and serves for the remainder of the previous President's term (assuming that he doesn't also die).

If the VP is inaugurated more than halfway into the previous President's term, he can still be elected twice, and thus theoretically serve for ten years. If this happened less than halfway into the previous President's term, though, he may only be elected once.

Dubya was never the VP, so under no circumstances can he serve more than eight years. If he were to die right now, Dick Cheney could theoretically be elected twice (yeah, right) and thus serve for a little more than the usual eight years that a two-term President gets, but the cycle of elections isn't disrupted by the death of a President, so he would not get the full ten either.

[Eriamjh]

Technically, the vice could serve up to 9-364/365 years, but not actually ten according to the two-year max take-over rule.