6, when the House of Representatives demanded the papers of a diplomatic mission that had resulted in an unpopular treaty with Great Britain, Washington read the Constitution, found in it no provision giving the House a share in the treaty-making power, and refused.In one vital particular Washington did, from the very beginning, follow his own judgment rather than the words of the Constitution. He understood, intuitively, that the presidency is inherently dual in nature—that carrying out constitutionally specified duties is only half the job. The other half is ceremonial, symbolic and inspirational, and it is crucially important.
Washington recognized that if the presidency, and with it the Constitution itself, were to endure he must conduct himself with just the right balance between too much and too little formality.
If he were stately and aloof, he could destroy trust by reawakening the American fear of monarchy. It he were folksy and warm, he could undermine popular respect for the dignity of the office. He managed to strike the golden mean, but even for a man of his gifts the doing required steady effort.
Some of Washington's advisers recognized that executive ability is a far different thing from the capacity to inspire confidence as a symbol of nationhood, and foresaw that few presidents would be entirely adequate in both roles.
Hamilton believed this to be an intrinsic flaw in the presidency and thought Washington should remedy the problem by following the British example.
That is, Washington should fill the symbolic role and turn the running of the government over to a Cabinet headed by a "prime minister," namely Hamilton himself.
Jefferson thought Hamilton's idea would amount to a return to monarchy and fiercely opposed it. Jefferson saw no reason why the president could not play both roles satisfactorily, and in fact when he became president he did so with consummate skill.
Washington steered a middle course. He rejected Hamilton's position in principle, but in considerable measure followed it in practice. However, he did attempt to keep abreast of everything that happened in the executive departments; for a time he actually refused to allow department heads to send out official letters until he had read and approved them.
On the other hand, his administration took on an increasingly Hamiltonian character as time went by. Congress, in establishing the Treasury Department, had made the secretary responsible to the House was well as to the president, and in that split capacity Hamilton functioned as a virtual prime minister. Even with Hamilton, however, Washington reserved final authority and took ultimate responsibility.
When Washington declined to run for a third four-year term of office–setting a precedent that became a revered tradition–he had fulfilled his trust and confirmed the wisdom of the framers of the Constitution.
By being the kind of man he was, he had made it possible for them to establish the presidency. By being the kind of president he was, he had made it possible for them to establish the presidency. By being the kind of president he was, he had made it possible for the office to evolve and endure.
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