President Pro Tem
The President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate is the person designated to preside over the United States Senate in the absence of the person designated by the United States Constitution to be the President of the Senate, the Vice President of the United States.
The term pro tempore is from Latin meaning "for a time", the same root from which the English word "temporary" is derived. This position is, in theory, elected by the membership of the Senate from its own membership. By custom and tradition, the office is conferred upon the most senior member (in terms of service in the Senate) of the majority party. In that the President Pro Tempore seldom actually presides over the Senate personally (any more than the Vice President usually does), this seldom causes problems -- most ordinary sessions of the Senate are provided over by junior (first term) members of the majority party. However, it could be seen as very problematic in the case that the President Pro Tempore, who is currently third in the line of Presidential succession, for some reason be forced to become Acting President. A recent President Pro Tempore, Strom Thurmond, was serving in the office at the age of 100. As things currently stand, were the Democrats to regain control of the Senate, under this convention Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia would become President Pro Tempore at age 86.
It has been suggested that either that the convention of the President Pro Tempore being the most senior member of the majority be displaced or that the President Pro Tempore be moved further down the line of Presidential succession to prevent the crisis that would likely ensue if such an eventuality were to occur, but no action has been taken or seems likely at the current time. In large measure this is probably true because as of 2004 the Presidency has never devolved to anyone other than the Vice President. Some have suggested that the President Pro Tempore be replaced in the line of succession by the Senate Majority Leader, but such a change would either require a Constitutional amendment (quite unlikely) or a change in Senate rules to make the Majority Leader the President Pro Tempore (more feasible, but still not likely).
