If McCain can't fill out his term and Palin takes over and completes his first term. Does that

[JohnnyBoots]

count as one of the two terms that Palin can serve as President? Is there a possibility that she could potentially serve 11 years in the highest office? Any Political Scientists out there know the answer?

[SoCalDem]

1. I think the law says "elected to" no more than 2 terms

so maybe she "could".:scared:

[Love Bug]

4. Yes, she could.

Lyndon Johnson served out Kennedy's term, was elected to one of his own and decided not to run again although he could have.

[undeterred]

2. Did McCain win an election? Is it November already?

[JohnnyBoots]

5. I am thinking worst case scenario.....if she could be in there for 11 years that

could really serve to motivate our grassroots people and donors double time.

[Fran Kubelik]

7. 10 years. She can't serve for than 2 years of McCain's term and still be elected twice.

[Fran Kubelik]

3. 22nd ammendment

1. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.

[JohnnyBoots]

6. Thanks.

[yellowdogintexas]

9. which is why Lyndon could have run in 68 had he wanted to. He only served

15 months approx of JFK's term

[spartan61]

8. No.

The Constitution says that a President can serve no more than 10 years. That would include 2 full terms of 4 years each and then 2 years if the VP was sworn in as the President in the event of the death of the President. If, however, the VP served more than 2 years as the President, then he/she could only serve one more full term. (Therefore, your potential 11 years as president question is moot.) Many Americans think it is only 8 years, but there is that provision in the Constitution in the event the VP ascends to the Presidency.

[tomg]

10. I have a slightly allied question.

If John McCain can't fill out his term, and then Palin takes over, and then before she appoints another VP she gets her ass raptured to heaven ( or wherever), does Pelosi as Speaker of the House take over?

[yardwork]

11. That is my understanding but probably somebody else knows for sure.

It reminds me of an old science fiction story I read once. Martians or something attacked and the world was under siege. The president and vice president disagreed with the military and speaker of the house about how to respond. So a general pulls out a gun and shoots the president and vice president and then turns deferentially toward the speaker and calls him "Mr. President." That's how the story ends but the implication is that the killer will be pardoned by the new president.

I don't know if this could really happen, but it's always kind of haunted me.

[PVnRT]

12. No. It's vacant until the spot is filled.

If Palin were raptur'd before then, the Speaker would assume the spot.

[tomg]

13. Thanks. That's what I meant:

under those circumstances, would Pelosi become President. I think I was unclear in the way i phrased it. I wonder if on FR they are asking that question in all seriousness and actually worrying about Pelosi taking over.

[ullad]

14. That is a scary thought!

[Jack Rabbit]

15. If she take over after January 20, 2011

No. Before that, yes. She could spend a maximum of 10 years as President.

LBJ was eligible for a "third" term and could have run in 1968 since he fill less than half of JFK's unexpired term. In California, we have a two-term limit for the governor written like the two-term limit for president; Governor Schwarzenegger, who filled more than half of Governor Davis' unexpired term before being elected to a term in his own right in 2006, is termed out.