 Even though the office of the President of the United States is easily the most powerful office in this country and likely the world, there are very few qualifications a person must meet to hold that office. The Constitution outlines only three requirements. To become President, a person must be 35 years old, a natural born citizen of the United States and must have lived in the United States at least 14 years prior to taking office. Interestingly, the first nine presidents did not adhere strictly to one of these requirements. The United States had not been in existence when they were born, but these first presidents were all born in one of the colonies. Although there are only three constitutional requirements to meet, the president must exhibit a host of qualities and characteristics to three distinct audiences. These three groups are politicians, party activists, and of course, the public. To get these groups' approval, cooperation and support, presidents need to possess highly developed leadership and management skills. Some political scientists such as James McGregor Burns suggest that for a leader to be considered a great president, he must first have a clear, focused agenda, one that can actually be achieved during his term in office. The more objectives achieved during his tenure, the greater their name will go down in history. Of course, fulfilling objectives requires cooperation from Congress and other parties. This is why political scientist and historian Richard Neustadt asserted that one of a president's most necessary qualities is the power to persuade. Although a president has great power, he cannot simply issue orders to carry out an agenda. President Truman recognized how important it was to be able to persuade people to follow his lead. All the president is is a glorified public relations man who spends his time flattering, kissing and kicking people to get them to do what they are supposed to do anyway. President Harry Truman, May, 1947 Another quality a president needs to possess is the ability to fill many different roles. There are five distinct roles required of a president, head of state, chief executive, commander in chief, diplomat and legislator. Each of these roles requires different skills and knowledge, and each carries significant responsibility and demands on time. The presidents considered the most successful are good at all five of these roles. Those who fail and even just one are typically judged harshly by people and history. A president's personality can also have a great bearing on his success in office. Political scientists have determined that presidents who have active rather than passive personalities and who have a positive rather than negative perception of the job are more likely to be seen as strong leaders. Having a clear agenda and purpose is also key. The Constitution includes a number of rules that affect the office of the president. These rules regulate areas such as election, succession, impeachment, compensation and terms of service. There are two ways for a person to become president by election or succession. To be elected, a person must receive a majority of electoral votes in the electoral college. If no candidate receives a majority, the house of representatives selects the president. A vice president may become president by way of succession if the president cannot complete his term. If the vice president is unable to succeed the president, the speaker of the house is next in line to assume the office. He is followed in the pecking order by the president pro tempore of the senate and the members of the cabinet in order of the department's creation. In 1967 with the passage of the 25th amendment, it was allowed that a vice president could officially take over presidential duties if he and a majority of the cabinet members agreed that the president is incapacitated or if the president declared himself incapacitated. This amendment also provides that the president can regain his position by sending a written declaration to the senate president pro tempore and the speaker of the house. If the vice president and a majority of the cabinet disagree, the decision goes to congress, which would need a two thirds approval to keep the vice president in power. The framers of the constitution foresaw that at some point, a president might need to be removed from office. For this reason, they included the process of impeachment. Grounds for impeachment include treason, bribery or high crimes and misdemeanors. The process of impeachment includes filing formal charges against the president and conducting a trial. First, the house of representatives must have a majority vote to impeach. If this occurs, then the senate must have a two thirds approval vote in order to convict. Only two presidents have ever been impeached, Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. In both cases, the house voted to impeach, but the senate did not achieve a two third majority to convict. President Richard Nixon resigned prior to what would have been an inevitable impeachment. I brought myself down. I impeached myself by resigning. President Richard Nixon. The framers understanding of human nature is also evidenced in the rules they established for a president's compensation. The president has paid a salary plus an expense allowance, both of which are set by Congress. To prevent bribery or other corruptions, presidents are not allowed to accept gifts as payment for fulfilling the duties of office. In 2004, the president's salary was $400,000 with a $50,000 expense allowance. Because he is still a citizen, the president's salary is also subject to income tax. The constitution also follows the president established by George Washington in limiting the number of terms a president can serve to two four-year terms. This limit was not part of the original constitution, but was added with the 22nd Amendment in 1951 after Franklin Roosevelt was elected president four times.