[dragonwriter]

> But isn't ck2's point that this a President doesn't have the authority for this? Are't these supposed to be congressional authorities?

Because the US doesn't have a parliamentary system where parties have clear parliamentary leaders (there are leadership in each party in each house, but there role is not the same as party leaders in a parliamentary system), and because the President has substantial powers not found in separately-elected heads of state in parliamentary systems, and because Congressional elections are separate by-seat elections and the Presidential election is (kind-of, the electoral college makes this not really true -- but closer than any other election) Presidential campaigns are single, national elections, the Presidential elections are a major nexus for national policy ideas that take legislative action to support (and Presidential primaries, particularly, set the ground for national party platforms in presidential election years.)