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? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jeff McIntire-Strasburg Office: FDH 644 University of Nevada, Las Vegas Phone:(702) 895-4001 Dept. of English -- Box 455011 Fax:(702) 895-4801 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy. email: [log in to unmask] Las Vegas, NV 89154 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite http://www.tcf.ua.edu/screensite