In his Farewell Address to a nascent nation, George Washington admonished its future leaders to “confine themselves within their respective constitutional spheres, avoiding in the exercise of the powers of one department to encroach upon another.” For better or worse, contemporary chief executives have ignored their forefather's advice. From the day they are elected till the day they leave office, today's presidents not only propose legislation addressing the nation's biggest problems but also undertake elaborate campaigns to promote its passage. What's more, American citizens expect, if not demand, that their presidents adopt this forward-leaning legislative posture.

Yet advocating legislation is far different from signing it, and rare is the case where presidents find coalition building on Capitol Hill easy. To shepherd a policy initiative to passage, a president not only must secure approval across myriad decision-making venues, in two chambers, and among 535 independent legislators but also must navigate a precarious undercurrent of competing agendas, limited time, scarce monies, diverse constituencies, entrenched interests, and parliamentary machinations. Perhaps it comes as no surprise, then, that grand designs for presidential leadership quickly give way to more sober realities. Ronald Reagan's quip captures the sentiment: “I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress.”

The ominous path to signing ceremonies notwithstanding, presidents have continued to propose and promote an ambitious legislative agenda.