American Presidency There are a number of different situations presidents face upon taking office that afford him the ability to exercise more or less power. All presidents will encounter different cycles during their stay in office, these cycles may come in a variety of forms: foreign policy shifts from isolationism to international involvement; the business cycle of economic growth followed by recession; the mood swing of public confidence in government followed by a retreat into …showed first 75 words of 1153 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1153 total…The problem is determining what role skill played in these events. Could another president have opened doors to China? Could another president emphasize human rights in his foreign policy? Probably. So when does skill matter, how can we recognize or measure political skill? Unfortunately, it is too difficult to exactly measure political skill. This much is true though a culmination of high levels of skill, task congruency, and high opportunity usually lead to presidential success.