ABSTRACT
The new constitutional amendment on Presidential succession and disability raises in extreme form the problem of recommending policy for unique cases. These special policies have the following outstanding characteristics: the proposed solutions must work every time; and there is historical experience upon which to base generalizations about future probabilities. Application of the relevant criteria to Presidential succession will show that the new constitutional amendment represents a reasonable “satisficing” alternative that neither wholly meets nor completely violates the crucial criteria. The structure of problems like presidential succession and presidential disability is different than that encountered in making policy recommendations. Great problems of public policy exert an independent force upon the societies that encounter them. Any method for determining Presidential succession must be established with absolute certainty. The gravest danger to stability comes from the efforts of those who would tailor a succession act to fit the particular individual they would like to help or hinder in case the need should arise.
