So, if you’re living stateside (or even if you’re not, most likely), then you know that today we the people of the United States of America will swear in a new President. It’s an incredible time of hope and dreaming and kitschy capitalism. All joking aside, it’s a crazy tough job that involves decisions that, no matter which way you go, many people will believe you are wrong. Combine that with the current situations that President-elect Obama (or President Obama, depending on when you read this) is stepping into, and you almost feel sorry for the guy.
But while his job will be hard enough it could be worse. This could be a SciFi story.
SciFi stories rarely go well for Presidents. Consider the most recent movie adaptation of The Manchurian Candidate. The President has a brainwashed VP that is putting him in harm’s way. Bill Pullman’s turn as President in 1996’s Independence Day has him making a big rallying speech and doing some cool fighter pilot Commander-in-Chief machismo, but in the process the White House gets just a little blown up…along with a few other cities*. Jack Nicholson also portrayed a President under alien invasion in Mars Attacks. And while Nicholson’s President Blake had the “cuter” aliens, they were no less menacing. Er…kinda.
Granted, SciFi Presidents never have it easy. Most of the time, they can't. They're forced into some gigantic disaster or invasion. You know, aliens attack, viruses spread around the world, they are captured and cloned, robots revolt, I mean the list just goes on and on. So the going gets tough and (assuming they don't get captured), the tough Presidents get going. Oh, but those guys I listed in the paragraph above got off so easy compared to the President in one of my favorite books of all time**.
Ladies and Gentlemen, say hello to the President in Robert McCammon's Swan Song. His appearance is brief, but the consequences of his action set off the events in McCammon's apocalyptic nightmare book***. His role is a short one, he's with us long enough to help nuke the world. Talk about a bummer, not only is there a world-altering catastrophe from which no one will emerge the same, but he caused it. Oops.
Of course, our newest President is not in a science fiction story and thank goodness. He has enough work to do without robot invaders from a far off galaxy. But if it comes to that, I have no doubt that he'll be ready to take on the challenge. After all, no comics-reading President would be caught off guard by such a thing.
So welcome, Mr. President! We're happy to have you here. And if you're interested, we have a few books and comics that might pique your interest...if, you know, you find any free time on your hands.
*Interestingly enough, this seems to be an invasion that takes place no where near a corn field or cattle range. Hmmmm...perhaps these were all just diversions? Or perhaps I'm over thinking it.
**Honorable mention goes to the President of Montana in another favorite, Schrodinger's Ball. True, he isn't the President of the US, but he gets his buddies on the ranch into a lot of trouble and then has to break out and, well, read the book, it's good times. And if you're wondering, there's a bunch of theoretical physics and a dead guy that is both dead and alive without being the living dead because he hasn't been observed and...yeah, read the book.
***It's better than King's amazing The Stand. There, I said it.
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