University of Virginia Library

Six-Year Presidency

Ever since that vanguard of American
revolutionaries gathered in Philadelphia to
frame a constitution, the idea of limiting
Presidents to a single six-year term has had its
occasional moments of popularity. A
compelling case in favor of such a change may
now be made in light of Richard Nixon's
emerging bid for re-election in 1972.

Few would deny that Nixon - a
politician's politician who ran for office
promising four years of peace and
reconciliation - has already started his drive to
win a second term. Whatever doubts existed
were wiped out Tuesday night when the
President flew to New York for hors
d'oeuvres at a Republican fun-raising dinner
and then on to Chicago for dessert with the
party faithful at a similar dinner.

While Nixon is not expected to announce
formally for re-election until January, when
he must file for the New Hampshire primary,
there can be no doubt that his campaign is
well under way, and in fact has been since
around the half-way mark in his current term
of office. His frequent television appearances,
many argue, are nothing so much as a
continuing campaign for favorable exposure
in the eyes of the voters.

Such criticism is heightened when one
considers the endless flow of slick public
relations material which originates from
Nixon's political bee hive in the White House.
College editors, for instance, are regularly
bombarded with memorandum and columns
penned by Nixon lieutenants whose loyalties
are clear. One such column by Attorney
General John Mitchell - which proclaimed the
Justice Department s assiduous efforts to halt
pollution of the environment - contained little
besides a gratuitous self-compliment for the
Nixon Administration.

Such nonsense obviously detracts from
any office holder's credibility and reduces the
amount of time he may devote to solving real
problems. A President who spends almost half
his term in office seeking re-election is a
President who fails to meet the obligations of
that office. Further, it has been said that the
office of President is the most taxing job on
earth which demands a Sisyphean
performance beyond the capacity of most
mortals.

Why not then, the argument continues,
take some of the purely political pressure off
the shoulders of the chief executive? Why not
give the American people a full-time President
whose only interest is in pursuing solutions
vital to us all? Finally - and Nixon himself
proves this point conclusively - isn't six years
of any politician's face on national television
enough?