The position of Speaker of the House of representatives immediately follows the position of the Vice President, because he is the 2nd in order in the presidency line, right after the Vice President. After him, the next in line is a temporary president appointed by the Senate. This situation is in accordance with what the framers intended because after the Vice President choice (which means that he is appointed by the President), the next choice is selected by the representatives of the people in the lower chamber of the Congress.