They may be
and are removed, however, as before said, not only for unfitness, but also
for political reasons.

_Clause 3.--Temporary Appointments._

_The president shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen
during the recess of the senate, by granting commissions which shall
expire at the end of their next session._

This provision is necessary because the senate is not always in session,
and it would not pay to convene it for the purpose of acting upon
nominations every time a vacancy occurs. The president may wait, however,
if the case will permit, until the next session of congress before making
an appointment.

SECTION III.--DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT.

_He shall from time to time give to congress information of the state of
the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall
judge necessary and expedient;[1] he may on extraordinary occasions,
convene both houses or either of them,[2] and in case of disagreement
between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them
to such time as he shall think proper;[3] he shall receive ambassadors and
other public ministers;[4] he shall take care that the laws be faithfully
executed,[5] and shall commission all officers of the United States.[6]

[1] The president complies with this provision by sending to congress at
the beginning of each regular session his annual message. And at other
times, as occasion demands, he sends special messages.

[2] Congress has been convened in extra session by presidential
proclamation only twelve times in all. The senate is frequently convened
in extra session at the close of the regular session to consider
appointments. This usually happens on the accession of a new president.

[3] No occasion has ever arisen for the exercise of this power.

[4] In all governments, diplomatic intercourse with other governments is
carried on through the executive department. (See pages 347 and 349.)

By "receiving" an ambassador, the country from which he comes is
"recognized" as an independent sovereignty, a nation. Ambassadors may be
rejected or dismissed, if personally objectionable to this country, if the
countries from which they come are not recognized as belonging to the
sisterhood of nations, or if the relations between their country and this
become unfriendly. Nations at war with each other do not exchange
ambassadors; each recalls its representative at the time of declaring war.
Our amb