Analysis of President Bush's Use of the Executive Order
             "Stroke of the pen. Law of the Land. Kinda Cool." Paul Begala, former counselor to President Bill Clinton, put it best when he was quoted in regards to President Clinton's increased use of executive orders. Executive orders can sometimes have tremendous policy impact on the nation, yet they do not require the approval of Congress. However they do have the force of law. These legal tools are not mentioned in the Constitution, but have grown up based on the implied powers stemming from Article II, Section 1 which states, "The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America." This vesting clause is significant because it lacks the phrase 'herein granted' making the president's powers more vague, allowing these powers to develop as the country develops. George W. Bush consistently relies on his ability to use an executive order helping his administration stay afloat. There are countless reasons why a president would use an executive order for example, to undue policies from a previous administration, fulfill campaign and platform promises, and advance policies that would never get passed if it were to go through the House or Senate. In this study, I plan to scrutinize President Bush's use of the executive order to negate Former President Bill Clinton's policies, explore how Bush uses them to advance his own policies, and analyze the secrecy of his presidency.
             During President Bush's first year in office, his mission was to undue everything the previous lame duck president did in attempt to restrict his movement after he came into office. Clinton issued several executive orders in an effort to tie the hands of President Bush once he took control of the presidency. Within Bush's first year of his term, he issued ten executive orders all to revoke sixteen of Clinton's ...