On 10/15/2011 2:46 PM, Scott Lurndal wrote:

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The presidency is an exception, but
aside from declaring war (a controversial topic itself), the president has little
direct power - he cannot pass laws, only suggest them[*].

1. The President cannot declare war. The Constitution grants that
power to Congress. As commander in chief, the President can order troop
movements. But he can't simply go out and order the military to commit
acts of war without Congressional support.
2. You are correct that the President can only suggest laws, not pass
them. However:
3. His veto power means that, unless a bill's proponents can muster 2/3
of Congress to support the bill, they have to pay more attention to what
the President wants than they have to pay to you or me, who also have
the power to suggest laws.
4. A great deal of business at the federal level is done by
administrative agencies. Most of them fall within the executive branch
of government, which means that at the operational level they report to
and therefore take their orders from the President, not Congress. As
long as what the President orders does not violate federal law, he has
the authority to control those agencies.