Too, the President serves at the will of the majority of the
population. In my mind he is accountable to the American people
and can not honestly hold the office and simultaneously flout the
will of the people or deviate from either the letter or the
spirit of the Constitution.

No, the president serves at the will of the majority of the Electors of which
there are what, 535? Even there it is only every 4 years. Once elected he
serves at the will of a very small minority of either the House or Senate (that
number being the minimum number of those who could block an impeachment in the
House or a conviction in the Senate). The Constitution does not even talk about
a presidential election and allows the states to select their electors any way
that they want. A popular vote for president is not required at all (by the
Constitution) if a state decides to select its electors in some other manner.
The President is not meant to represent the people, he (or she) is meant to
represent the states and the states are NOT meant to be represented in direct
proportion to their respective populations. They are clearly NOT supposed to
blindly follow the "will" of the people - they are supposed to lead and are
thus insulated from short term shifts in public opinion (one of the big
shortcomings of a parlimentary form of government IMHO). The Great Compromise
was truly great but is truly not understood in todays world.

Dave Hall