So in a rather desperate effort to be considered young and hip (or, in the case of Obama, more young and hip) the presidential candidates did an interview with Entertainment Weekly listing their favorites in entertainment. Hilariously, McCain claims David Palmer as his favorite fictional president, and - not surprisingly for a U.S. president - they both like Batman.
McCain clearly wins the pop culture race, naming Curb Your Enthusiasm and ABBA as two of his favorites. Honest opinion or political tool? I don't know. But it got me thinking, what about my other favorite presidents? If they were around to see what film has become, what would their favorite movies most likely be?
Theodore Roosevelt - One of our more iconic presidents, Teddy tried like mad to establish iconic scenery by creating national parks out of Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, and the Badlands. Arguably a better cowboy than president (see "Panama Canal") Teddy's favorite movie might be The Searchers.
Vast, beautiful, open, The Searchers sort of exemplifies the idea of conservation. And who better to play cowboys and Indians with than John Wayne?
William Taft - Enter obligatory fat joke here. But seriously, this dude was fat. He would have loved this one:
Lyndon Johnson - He's evil, and yet awesome. Conniving and totally interesting. Even if you didn't like that whole Vietnam thing, Johnson makes for a really great 4 hour PBS special. Which is why his favorite movie would be The Deer Hunter. He feels like a jerk for killing all of America's youth, and yet he's still completely racist.
So there you have it. A (film) history lesson from Whitney. But we have, like, at least 15 more presidents to talk about! What would be your favorite president's favorite movie?
