Political Quotes

“I hope the schoolchildren and others who watched the State of the Union Message yesterday... do not make a mistake that can get them to flunk an exam on the U.S. Constitution or U.S. Government. I heard many commentators go on to talk about the fact that the President, the Vice President, Speaker of the House, and everybody is there in the Chamber and that they always hold back one member of the Cabinet so there would be somebody to take over as President if some terrible event happened. Well, I advise them to go and read the Constitution and the statutes governing Presidential succession... The Constitution says that if the President is disabled or can no longer serve, then the Vice President takes over. According to statute, in the absence of the Vice President, it is the Speaker of the House. In the absence of the Speaker of the House, it is the President pro tempore of the Senate. Only then does the Presidency succeed to a Cabinet member...”