I've been toying with an idea for a paper that I thought I'd throw out for
response.  Seems to me that the portrayal of the US President in films
like INDEPENDENCE DAY and AIR FORCE ONE (the former piolet/Green Beret
turned President) plays into the perceived weakness of Bill Clinton as
Commander-in-Chief because of his lack of military experience.  In other
words, these films/directors/producers are capitalizing on this perception
of the current president because of a larger public perception of what it
means to be "presidential."  Obviously, the idea is in it's formative
stages, but I was wondering if anyone knew of any sources on cultural
perceptions of the presidency -- haven't had much luck in my own (very
cursory) searches?  Any suggestions, or any comments on the idea,
particularly if it's either blatantly obvious or old ground?
 
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Jeff McIntire-Strasburg                         Office: FDH 644
University of Nevada, Las Vegas                 Phone:(702) 895-4001
Dept. of English -- Box 455011                  Fax:(702) 895-4801
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Las Vegas, NV  89154
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Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite
http://www.tcf.ua.edu/screensite