In the entire history of the United States, we've had only one President who served longer than 8 years. And all of them have been up for reelection every 4. So, to buy into the premise of the thread, you have to believe that the United States has never accomplished anything. It's just a plainly silly argument. And a professional (neutral, nonpartisan) bureaucracy is a deliberate part of the system, that stabilizing force you're so keen on. It protects all of us from the worst excesses of political leaders.