The President is only half a figurehead. The President is really supposed to be a person at the head who can lead, and guide the country on its feet in a time of crisis. When Franklin Roosevelt rose the USA out of the ashes of the Great Depression and fought in World War 2, he wasn't just being a figurehead. He was being a leader. When Abraham Lincoln led the Union through th Civil War, he was being a leader. There were some times when the President of the United States actually did something very useful. Unfortunately, we're not living undr a President who can be such a leader.