I got to thinking last night about parliamentary systems and the United States. One of the principal problems many of us have with the Bush Administration is that an enormous amount of power has been concentrated in the hands of a man who misuses it. We look enviously to our north and across the seas to parliamentary democracies, the executives of which are more directly responsible to their people and their legislative bodies. In these countries, the functions of head of state and head of government are separate, instead of concentrated in one man.
To that end, I propose the 28th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States:
AMENDMENT XXVIII
The power of the executive of the United States shall be vested in the person of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The President of the United States shall retain the power to veto legislation, and shall remain commander in chief of the United States armed forces.
The president shall be elected for a single term of eight years.
Any thoughts?