# Americans: which foreigner would you like as POTUS? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 1, 2007, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464 "2007-12-01T16:29:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464/21 "2007-12-01T22:26:54Z")
None. Havel and Sarkozy are the only ones posted so far I can take seriously, but really not even them. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464/22 "2007-12-01T23:47:55Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] That does not apply in the OP’s hypothetical. I’d invite [“Red Ken” Livingstone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Livingstone) to be POTUS. He’s a leftist but not really a Communist, he’s not **too** bad an asshole as politicians go, he always seems to stand up for his beliefs and convictions regardless of whether they are popular at the moment, and he speaks English. [/QUOTE] He’s very like Wedgie Benn. An apparently utterly raving loony lefty but actually a man of principle (for a politiian, that is). It’s that character thing. I don’t agree with him on a good few things but I have great respect for him. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464/23 "2007-12-01T23:55:47Z")
[QUOTE=Quartz] He’s very like Wedgie Benn. [/QUOTE] Who? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464/24 "2007-12-01T23:57:17Z")
[QUOTE=Rashaverak] :eek: _Really_ **BrainGlutton**? I know you’re a lefty, but to most Americans he would seem only a tad to the right of Lenin. [/quote] That’s why. A necessary corrective, to drag our established political center-of-gravity to the left. [QUOTE=Rashaverak] Heck, I’m a liberal and I can’t stand the bloke. Many Londoners would have stronger words… 😉 [/QUOTE] Nevertheless, they did elect him, didn’t they? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464/25 "2007-12-02T00:08:42Z")
Nicolas Sarkozy. ETA: Let me expand on that just a tad. I like the idea of having someone who has been through the grand socialist experiment and has come out the other end fully aware of and familiar with its broken promises and shortcomings. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464/26 "2007-12-02T00:12:56Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Nevertheless, they did elect him, didn’t they? [/QUOTE] That’s a fallacy. We didn’t elect Bush. ETA: “Many Londoners” could also describe 25% of the city’s voting population and still be lots and lots and lots of people. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464/27 "2007-12-02T02:10:23Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] Nicolas Sarkozy. ETA: Let me expand on that just a tad. I like the idea of having someone who has been through the grand socialist experiment and has come out the other end fully aware of and familiar with its broken promises and shortcomings. [/QUOTE] Nevertheless, he’s a hardass law-'n’order type. Why would a libertarian want him? ---
**Author:** ![Ocean\_Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8797f3/32.png) [@Ocean\_Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ocean_Annie)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464/28 "2007-12-02T03:12:18Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Nevertheless, he’s a hardass law-'n’order type. [/QUOTE] I listened to Sarkozy address the U.S. congress. It was a remarkable speech. Other than his compelling speech, I didn’t know much about his politics. After a little digging, I discovered the gifted public speaker is a global free market, fundamental capitalist convert. There goes Europe. _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464/29 "2007-12-02T03:13:19Z")
[QUOTE=Hostile Dialect] Definitely HM Juan Carlos I. Peter Jennings for VP. [/QUOTE] Wait. Does this hypothetical question allow for dead vice presidents? Because Peter Jennings died a couple of years ago. But my answer would be Tony Blair, despite his support of the war. At the very least, he’s a much better speaker than GW Bush. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464/30 "2007-12-02T03:36:22Z")
[QUOTE=Dewey Finn] Wait. Does this hypothetical question allow for dead vice presidents? Because Peter Jennings died a couple of years ago. [/QUOTE] Well, he can’t be much worse than Cheney, can he? ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464/31 "2007-12-02T03:43:52Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Who? [/QUOTE] > **[Tony Benn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Benn)** > > Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn (3 April 1925 – 14 March 2014), known between 1960 and 1963 as The Viscount Stansgate, was a British Labour Party politician and political activist who served as a Cabinet minister in the 1960s and 1970s. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bristol South East and then Chesterfield for 47 of the 51 years between 1950 and 2001. He later served as President of the Stop the War Coalition from 2001 to 2014. > Benn was born in Westminster, the son of Labour cabinet min... A true lefty and IMO a great man. You may have seen him interviewed in _Sicko_. ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/poO5BgU2PZo/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/poO5BgU2PZo?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37wkX2gklzo](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37wkX2gklzo) \<– Sicko interview ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464/32 "2007-12-02T03:53:39Z")
Actually here’s the extended Sicko interview. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWxjReQZuTI) ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464/33 "2007-12-02T10:07:07Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Nevertheless, he’s a hardass law-'n’order type. Why would a libertarian want him? [/QUOTE] Well, that’s not how I would describe him. Nevertheless, a libertarian certainly would not oppose law and order per se, so long as the laws were ethical and the order was achieved without coercion. ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464/34 "2007-12-02T10:40:54Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] > [@Liberal](#): > > Nicolas Sarkozy. > > ETA: > > Let me expand on that just a tad. I like the idea of having someone who has been through the grand socialist experiment and has come out the other end fully aware of and familiar with its broken promises and shortcomings. Nevertheless, he’s a hardass law-'n’order type. Why would a libertarian want him? [/QUOTE] Yes, it’s a rare and precious thing to find someone with a mind open to rational persuasion when their ideology is discussed. That is plainly the chief attraction of Sarkozy to the member. Commonly you’ll find people welded to their philosophy, no matter how odd. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464/35 "2007-12-02T11:17:14Z")
It’s interesting to see what Americans think of foreign politicians. My European viewpoint (of the ones I know something about): - Putin is exKGB and wants to return to a dictatorship - Ken Livingstone won elections for London Mayor despite fervent opposition from both major political parties. He’s certainly passionate about London, but hasn’t shown national ability - Richard Branson has great publicity skill, but his company has been involved in ‘dirty tricks’ allegations - Kasparov is talented (He was a Wall Street columnist as well as World Chess Champion) but has little political experience (and won’t get any more if Putin keeps arresting him on trumped-up charges :rolleyes: ) - Benn is honest and thoughtful (but far too left-wing for the US!) - Blair is still dodging questions on the Iraq war, because he can’t admit he was wrong. He also got involved in dodgy financial deals, both personal and for his party. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464/36 "2007-12-02T13:53:47Z")
Don Cherry. He’d be body-checking other heads of state that he disagreed with. Plus his speeches would be entertaining if only to see what he’s wearing. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464/37 "2007-12-02T14:38:10Z")
Benjamin Netanyahu Could you imagine…? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464/38 "2007-12-02T14:39:03Z")
**matt\_mcl**. Not a joke. He’s a competent politician who could win an election, and his ideas and opinions on a variety of subjects he’d deal with as President range from ones I support strongly to ones I could live with but don’t necesssarily espouse myself. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464/39 "2007-12-02T18:16:27Z")
[QUOTE=glee] - Putin is exKGB and wants to return to a dictatorship [/QUOTE] **Wants** to? He’s not there already? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464/40 "2007-12-02T18:18:57Z")
[QUOTE=Rysdad] Benjamin Netanyahu Could you imagine…? [/QUOTE] Sure. He would negotiate a peace treaty with Iran and then fail to implement its terms. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-which-foreigner-would-you-like-as-potus/428464.md?page=3)