The president of the United States wields a lot of power both domestically and on the international stage. These powers are granted to him by a series of statutes, amendments, the Constitution, acts of Congress, and numerous influences and soft power by virtue of his position as leader. Canada, on the other hand, does not have a president and is led by a prime minister. Although the two countries are almost equal in size, their leaders show large differences in the amount of power they hold at the national level (Dickerson et al., 2009: 47). General knowledge alone seems to state that the President of the United States is the most powerful person among democratically governed nations as he is the commander in chief of the world's most modern and powerful military by every measure and leads the largest economy of the world. However, does it wield the same level of power at the national level? The Canadian Prime Minister, on the other hand, is not easily recognizable due to the small role Canada plays in international affairs. Although the role of Prime Minister is not explained by any legislation or legal document, it is undoubtedly the most influential position in the Canadian political system. The President of the United States makes several appointments by virtue of his position (Charlton 1998: 22). Before taking the oath of office, the president-elect is tasked with making more than 6,000 appointments ranging from top officials at national agencies to senior White House staffers and high-level ambassadors. In many of these appointments, he consults with the United States Senate. The President is also granted the power to appoint judges at all levels of the judicial system. However, nominees must first be confirmed by the Senate, and this can be an obstacle if presidents want to make... middle of paper... policy. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Charlton, Paul Barker. 1998. In Mark Charlton and Paul Barker, eds. Contemporary Political Issues, 6th ed. Toronto: Thompson-Nelson.Dahl, Robert Allan. 2005. Who Rules?: Democracy and Power in an American City, Connecticut: Yale University Press.Dickerson, Mark O., Flanagan, Thomas and O'Neill, Brenda. 2009. An Introduction to Government and Politics: A Conceptual Approach, 8th ed. Toronto: Thompson-Nelson.Neustadt, Richard E. 1991. Presidential Power and Modern Presidents: The Politics of Leadership from Roosevelt to Reagan, NY: Free Press.Savoie, Donald. 1999. Governing from the Centre: The Concentration of Power in Canadian Politics, Toronto: University of Toronto Press.Zernike, Kate. 2012. “In Act of Defiance, Democrat Blocks Obama Court Pick.” The New York Times, January 5, 2012. Web.