The President and Institutional Resources in Policy-making When it comes to policy-making, presidents succeed or fail based on their skills as political bargainers and coalition builders. At the core of the presidency are the chief executive's efforts to lead, especially in performing the key functions of agenda setting, decision making, coalition building, and policy implementation. Sometimes the president can take unilateral action to achieve his goals, and the extent of the president's powers is a continual focus of debate and negotiation. More often, however, the White House must persuade others-members of Congress, the public, the press, the bureaucracy, and foreign leaders-to support his policies. The strongest power of the president in policy-making is the power to persuade. Since the president lacks authority to command the members of Congress and state officials, he must convince other political actors to cooperate with him voluntarily. Although the presidency is regarded as a powerful office, often the president is poorly served by the institutional resources available to him (i.e., federal bureaucracy, public support, and media support). The president cannot necessarily count on the cooperation of the federal bureaucracy. Except for the White House staff, the heads of Executive Office agencies, and members of the cabinet, all of whom serve at the pleasure of the president, the loyalty of federal employees lies with their jobs in their own niches in the bureaucracy, not with the president’s program. I remember reading where Republican Congressman Tom Delay once gave his explanation for opposing President George H. W. Bush on a particular policy by reminding readers that he represented the 22nd District of Texas, not George Bush. Furthermore, Secretary of State Colin Powell clashed with Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld over foreign policy issues. The bureaucratic infighting often makes the president appear...