“I’m sorry, but you are President of the damn United States of America. You have to do what is right for the country and not worry about the political ramifications.”
While the money quote is good, the problem isn’t the President. The problem is Congress is unwilling to legislate because that would require being willing to take the blame, and it’s far less risky to let the President take the blame than to take a stand. It’s Congress’ job to figure out how to fix things and then the President then executes those plans. It’s been a while since it’s worked that way though, so I can understand why Cardoza is confused about it.
Not So Fast 