Fictional Presidents (GOOD!)

THE GOOD GUYS (FINALLY!)

#10 Tom Beck - Morgan Freeman (DEEP IMPACT) - I haven't even seen this, but I have total faith in Morgan.



#9 Lindberg - Tom Lister Jr. (THE FIFTH ELEMENT) - For no other reason than he played "Zeus" in NO HOLDS BARRED.





#8 Fake William Mitchell - Kevin Kline (DAVE) The real Mitchell blamed Gandhi for his problems, which was wrong, but this one caught a fish THIS BIG and got a boner when Sigourney Weaver saw him naked. What's not to love?




#7 Hyperion - Some day, my Tribe. Some day.




#6 Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Camacho - Terry Crews (IDIOCRACY) - Dude, the name says it all, and if it doesn't: machine gun! (Read my review )




#5 Laura Roslin - Mary McDonnell (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) - Wise beyond her years. Tough beyond her fears and sexy beyond her leers.



#4 Andrew Shepherd - Michael Douglas (THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT) - Most of the ACLU/gun speech at the end is hogwash, but I still get fired up every time I see it!




#3 James Marshall - Harrison Ford (AIR FORCE ONE) - I can't believe Harrison ranked third. I attribute this ONLY to the fact that the top two guys were on TV, where you get to know them longer. Still, what we saw of President James Marshall was fairly awesome. We all want our president to kick ass, and FOR THE RIGHT REASONS. Only down point: why would you pick Glen Close as VP? Have you seen FATAL ATTRACTION?



#2 Josiah Bartlett - Martin Sheen (THE WEST WING) - What can you say about Jed Bartlett? Originally The West Wing was supposed to be mainly about the staff, but Martin Sheen had such a presence at the end of the first episode that he immediately became a central player. And what a portrait. Politics aside, I loved seeing how a president wrestles with his good and bad angels. In that way, perhaps realistic. We had our ups and downs, Bartlett and I, but he was a liberal worth loving, and that's hard to come by.


And the number one fictional president of all time is......



#1 David Palmer - Dennis Haysbert (24) - After his run on 24 was over, my sister suggested that Dennis Haysbert be officially renamed President Palmer. I had to agree. Rarely has someone shot to stardom so quickly based on the strength of a small role. President Palmer wasn't perfect; in fact, in times of crisis he treated Posse Comitatus like so much wet Kleenex. He was just doing what he had to do, and you know what: he willingly paid the price for it, by not running for reelection. He did what he had to do to save the country, but he felt that made him unworthy to hold the office. Sniff sniff. One other thing. I mean no disrespect to the hard work and charisma of Senator Obama, but I believe in a very real way, Obama's candidacy (and possible victory) owes more than a small debt to President Palmer. It sounds ridiculous even writing these words, but I think seeing Palmer as a tough effective leader--without any regards to race--might have helped a lot of people past some invisible hurdle in their minds. Does this mean Dennis Haysbert should be given whatever campaign money Obama has left over? Yes. Yes it does. Should Haysbert share with me for ranking him #1? What do you think?