We are unusual here in the United States in that our head of state and our head of government are the same person: President Barack H. Obama. In the United Kingdom, Israel, Canada, Germany, and many places across the globe, the roles are divided, with the Head of State representing the whole country and its people in mostly ceremonial duties, while the Head of Government runs the government. In the United Kingdom, the Head of State is Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The Head of Government is, for now, Prime Minister Gordon Brown. In Israel, the Head of State is President Shimon Peres, and the Head of Government is Benjamin Netanyahu.
In Canada, the Head of State up north is Queen as well, but they have a Governor-General, who is her representative in Canada. And the government selects the Governor-General every five years. There is significant momentum at the moment for Prime Minister Harper’s government to select William Shatner. Yes, that William Shatner.