What Would Happen?

[Emsworth]

Another question about the original scenario.  The vice-president becomes president as soon as the president dies.  Is he included on the list of presidents even though he is never sworn in?

David Rice Atchison was President for 1 day in 1849 because Zachary Taylor refused to be sworn in on a Sunday and he is never mentioned as a President.

By your reasoning it is required that a President swear in to actually become President: Since Taylor did not swear in on the Sunday, he was not President. Since Atchison did not swear in either, does it not stand to reason that he was not President either?

Arguably, the United States did not have a President at all for that day since no person was duly sworn into be President.

Exactly: Atchison was Acting President but was not President.
Question answered, btw.

I would tend to disagree. Zachary Taylor became President on March 4, even though he did not take the oath. The Constitution specifies that the President must take an oath "Before he enter on the Execution of his Office," not "before he take office." Thus, Taylor was officially President of the U.S., though he could not exercise any of the associated powers, on that day.

[Emsworth]

I like the idea of S 920, but I don't think it goes far enough - the Line of Succession should be expanded to at least 100 posts, if not several thousand if at all possible.

One could add:
- Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force
- Deputy Secretaries, Under Secretaries, Assistant Secretaries
- Heads of departmental agencies (e.g., the Director of the Mint)
- Heads of independent agencies (e.g., the Director of the CIA)
- Members of various federal bodies (e.g., members of the Federal Reserve Board)
- White House officials (e.g., the National Security Advisor)

That should be plenty.

[zorkpolitics]

Another question about the original scenario.  The vice-president becomes president as soon as the president dies.  Is he included on the list of presidents even though he is never sworn in?

David Rice Atchison was President for 1 day in 1849 because Zachary Taylor refused to be sworn in on a Sunday and he is never mentioned as a President.

Apparently Atchinson spent all of Sunday in bed sleeping off the previous night's cellebration, so he missed his 1 day Presidency.