# The best fictitious U.S. President(s) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 9, 2007, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320 "2007-04-09T15:05:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320/1 "2007-04-09T15:05:44Z")
From books, movies, TV shows, whatever. Whenever we despair of the current occupant of the White House, we can always imagine an alternative. I’d nominate: Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas) from _The American President_. Witty, bright, clearly enjoyed the job and did his level best despite the political cost. Tom Beck (Morgan Freeman) from _Deep Impact_. Smart, serious, imposing, and just the voice I’d want to hear broadcast the Oval Office when the shit _really_ hit the fan. Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) from _The West Wing_. Sheen played Shepherd’s chief of staff in _The American President_, but came into his own at the core of this great political TV show. A principled statesman, a bibliophile, history buff and Nobel Prize-winning economist. Jed, we hardly knew ye… ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320/2 "2007-04-09T15:21:36Z")
Frederick March as President Jordan Lyman in [_Seven Days in May_](http://imdb.com/title/tt0058576/) is the first one who popped into my head. ---
**Author:** ![Spiral\_Stairs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Spiral\_Stairs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiral_Stairs)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320/3 "2007-04-09T15:23:21Z")
My vote: David Palmer, from 24. (He was so damn charming and confidence-inspiring that I won’t think very hard about his repeated endorsements of torture as state policy.) ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320/4 "2007-04-09T15:31:11Z")
Honorable mention has to go to [President Merkin Muffly](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkin_Muffly), who did his best to save the world after the Soviets had set up the doomsday machine and one of his generals had set in train events that would trigger it. In the face of a worse crisis than any president has every faced, and confronted by insane and incompetent subordinates and a drunk and incoherent Soviet Premier, President Muffly never loses his calmness. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320/5 "2007-04-09T15:55:50Z")
Peter Griffin ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320/6 "2007-04-09T16:05:41Z")
President Widmark from _Buckaroo Banzai_ who managed to lead this country despite being in traction. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320/7 "2007-04-09T16:37:38Z")
Unless I hallucinated it, in my youth (late 1960s, possibly early 1970s) there was a Saturday morning cartoon called “Super President”. That’s right; a superhero whose secret identity was _President of the United States_. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320/8 "2007-04-09T16:47:09Z")
John F. Kennedy from **Action Comics**. He was such a great guy that Superman trusted him with his secret identity! There’s also [Prez](http://www.toonopedia.com/prez.htm). There was also the president in the classic mystery story, “The President of the United States: Detective” by H.F. Heard. I don’t recall his name (or if it was ever given), but he was clearly a man ahead of his time and would nowadays be doing PowerPoint shows and winning an Oscar for him. And the story was written in 1947. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320/9 "2007-04-09T16:47:15Z")
[QUOTE=Giles] President Muffly never loses his calmness. [/QUOTE] And he refuses to fight in the War Room. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320/10 "2007-04-09T16:48:19Z")
President Thomas Whitmore from Independence Day. Rallys the troops at Area 51, then jumps in a fighter jet and attacks the aliens. a CinC with nads. ---
**Author:** ![Improv\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@Improv\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improv_Geek)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320/11 "2007-04-09T17:15:34Z")
There was a book for kids where a 13 year old kid gets elected, points out the stupidity of the decision, resigns. At least, that’s how I recall it… – IG ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320/12 "2007-04-09T17:18:54Z")
[QUOTE=Improv Geek] There was a book for kids where a 13 year old kid gets elected, points out the stupidity of the decision, resigns. [/QUOTE] SPOILERS!! ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320/13 "2007-04-09T17:20:05Z")
[QUOTE=Baldwin] Unless I hallucinated it, in my youth (late 1960s, possibly early 1970s) there was a Saturday morning cartoon called “Super President”. That’s right; a superhero whose secret identity was _President of the United States_. [/QUOTE] Not hallucinating, yes there was such a cartoon. I even remembered the name w/o looking it up: President Norcross. > **[Super President](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_President)** > > Super President is an American animated cartoon that aired Saturday mornings on NBC from September 16, 1967, to December 28, 1968. The series was produced by the DePatie–Freleng animation company. In the show, the President of the United States has extraordinary superpowers, including increased strength and the ability to change his molecular composition, and uses them to protect the Free World, as well as his hapless Vice President. The show was relentlessly criticized for its bad taste and low... ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320/14 "2007-04-09T17:50:19Z")
Henry Fonda in **Fail Safe** –forced into an unbelievable situation and compelled to make the most horrific of decisions, putting his country (and the safety of the world) before all other personal or party interests. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320/15 "2007-04-09T17:52:24Z")
[QUOTE=Giles] Honorable mention has to go to [President Merkin Muffly](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkin_Muffly), who did his best to save the world after the Soviets had set up the doomsday machine and one of his generals had set in train events that would trigger it. In the face of a worse crisis than any president has every faced, and confronted by insane and incompetent subordinates and a drunk and incoherent Soviet Premier, President Muffly never loses his calmness. [/QUOTE] “There’s been a little problem with the bomb, Dmitri… the bomb… the _hydrogen_ bomb…” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320/16 "2007-04-09T17:56:55Z")
[QUOTE=Gangster Octopus] President Widmark from _Buckaroo Banzai_ who managed to lead this country despite being in traction. [/QUOTE] Ah, yes. Signing the “Declaration of War: Short Form” on advice of National Security Advisor Yakov Smirnof. ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Norse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/big_norse/32/9954_2.png) [@Big\_Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Norse)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320/17 "2007-04-09T17:59:59Z")
[QUOTE=Gangster Octopus] President Widmark from _Buckaroo Banzai_ who managed to lead this country despite being in traction. [/QUOTE] “Declaration of War, the short form.” ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320/18 "2007-04-09T18:54:06Z")
The unnamed President in Robert Heinlein’s “The Happy Days Ahead” (published in _Expanded Universe_ ). Richard Jordan’s character in The Hunt for Red October was billed as a Henry Kissinger type. But he performed the same function as the President in the novel. E.G. Marshall in Superman II, Emma, Queen of the South Seas, Ike, Collision Course: Truman versus MacArthur, Hallmark Hall of Fame’s “Ordeal by White House” ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320/19 "2007-04-09T19:29:58Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] “There’s been a little problem with the bomb, Dmitri… the bomb… the _hydrogen_ bomb…” 😃 [/QUOTE] “Of course it’s a friendly call, Dimitri! If it wasn’t a friendly call, well, you probably wouldn’t even be getting it.” Large parts of that phone call are reputed to be improvised. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320/20 "2007-04-09T20:10:55Z")
[QUOTE=Spiral Stairs] My vote: David Palmer, from 24. (He was so damn charming and confidence-inspiring that I won’t think very hard about his repeated endorsements of torture as state policy.) [/QUOTE] Bing! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-fictitious-u-s-president-s/399320.md?page=2)