Hail To The Chiefs: 13 Memorable TV Presidents

By Kimberly Roots Nov. 6, 2012 8:52 am EST

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What are you waiting for? Walk-and-talk your way over to the right arrow and take some decisive action!

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David Palmer, 24 CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Luring a grieving Jack Bauer back to CTU when others couldn't; saving Day 4 by stepping up to help an incompetent Acting President Logan; alerting Jack to the Secret Service's attempt on his life, then keeping the secret about the agent's alleged death CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Giving in to a terrorist's demands on Day 3; getting assassinated by a sniper while in the middle of memoir-writing … AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "If this is what the people are going to be watching, let's show them how we're going to respond. I want them to see how we protect our citizens. We will not put up with racism or xenophobia. If this is where it's going to start, this is where it's going to stop."

David Palmer, 24

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Luring a grieving Jack Bauer back to CTU when others couldn't; saving Day 4 by stepping up to help an incompetent Acting President Logan; alerting Jack to the Secret Service's attempt on his life, then keeping the secret about the agent's alleged death

CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Giving in to a terrorist's demands on Day 3; getting assassinated by a sniper while in the middle of memoir-writing

... AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "If this is what the people are going to be watching, let's show them how we're going to respond. I want them to see how we protect our citizens. We will not put up with racism or xenophobia. If this is where it's going to start, this is where it's going to stop."

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Elias Martinez, The Event CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Deciding to release alien detainees held by the U.S. Government for decades CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Changing his mind and renegging on the release-the-aliens initiative despite alien technology thwarting an attempt on his life … AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "Right now I'm less concerned with who's trying to kill us than who saved us."

Elias Martinez, The Event

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Deciding to release alien detainees held by the U.S. Government for decades

CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Changing his mind and renegging on the release-the-aliens initiative despite alien technology thwarting an attempt on his life

... AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "Right now I'm less concerned with who's trying to kill us than who saved us."

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Charles Logan, 24 CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Assuming the office after President Keeler's Air Force One crash; yeah, there's not much good here CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Being a puppet for an extreme corporate pressure group; selling nerve gas to terrorists; ordering the assassination of President David Palmer; being removed from the presidency; worming his way back into power as a self-serving confidant of President Allison Taylor; refusing to cancel a hit on Jack Bauer just before shooting himself in the head … AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "This administration does not condone murder, and it never will."

Charles Logan, 24

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Assuming the office after President Keeler's Air Force One crash; yeah, there's not much good here

CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Being a puppet for an extreme corporate pressure group; selling nerve gas to terrorists; ordering the assassination of President David Palmer; being removed from the presidency; worming his way back into power as a self-serving confidant of President Allison Taylor; refusing to cancel a hit on Jack Bauer just before shooting himself in the head

... AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "This administration does not condone murder, and it never will."

JEFF PERRY, TONY GOLDWYN

Fitzgerald Grant, Scandal CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | As the saying goes, the history books will tell us. And frankly, we haven't been made privy to much of his policy, yet, instead focusing on the peace he's trying to keep under his own roof. But as of late, he has deftly navigated -- with more than a nudge from wife Mellie -- a delicate sitch in East Sudan. CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Season 1's Amanda Tanner crisis, where the veep's chief of staff Billy sought to torpedo POTUS with a sex scandal -- even leaving a dead body in his wake! -- was ultimately spun as the set-up job of a loon, but surely it marred his administration some. He also reportedly took a knock over the summer for a yachting excursion that came off as excessive. Thank goodness he's in tight with a savvy fixer. … AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "Stand here with me for one minute."

Fitzgerald Grant, Scandal

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | As the saying goes, the history books will tell us. And frankly, we haven't been made privy to much of his policy, yet, instead focusing on the peace he's trying to keep under his own roof. But as of late, he has deftly navigated — with more than a nudge from wife Mellie — a delicate sitch in East Sudan.

CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Season 1's Amanda Tanner crisis, where the veep's chief of staff Billy sought to torpedo POTUS with a sex scandal — even leaving a dead body in his wake! — was ultimately spun as the set-up job of a loon, but surely it marred his administration some. He also reportedly took a knock over the summer for a yachting excursion that came off as excessive. Thank goodness he's in tight with a savvy fixer.

... AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "Stand here with me for one minute."

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Julia Mansfield, Hail to the Chief CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Hard to say – when her presidency wasn't in jeopardy, her family was CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Not lasting more than seven episodes on ABC

Julia Mansfield, Hail to the Chief

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Hard to say – when her presidency wasn't in jeopardy, her family was

CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Not lasting more than seven episodes on ABC

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Wayne Palmer, 24 CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Getting elected to the Oval Office on Day 6 after serving as his brother, David's, chief of staff; refusing to go along with plans to detain Islamic-Americans; rallying from an assassination attempt (with the help of some adrenaline) to address his cabinet and then staging a fake missile attack to procure the cooperation of a stubborn foreign ambassador CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Ordering a military strike despite Jack's urging to the contrary; succumbing to his assassination-attempt injuries and dying; generally not being as awesome as his brother … AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "If Jack Bauer says it's a dead end, then it's a dead end."

Wayne Palmer, 24

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Getting elected to the Oval Office on Day 6 after serving as his brother, David's, chief of staff; refusing to go along with plans to detain Islamic-Americans; rallying from an assassination attempt (with the help of some adrenaline) to address his cabinet and then staging a fake missile attack to procure the cooperation of a stubborn foreign ambassador

CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Ordering a military strike despite Jack's urging to the contrary; succumbing to his assassination-attempt injuries and dying; generally not being as awesome as his brother

... AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "If Jack Bauer says it's a dead end, then it's a dead end."

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Robert McAllister, Jack & Bobby CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Getting elected in 2040; being deemed "The Great Believer" for his unflagging desire to rise above various hits on his administration CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Feeling the need to continue his brother's political path after Washington hopeful Jack is killed in a convenience store robbery … AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "The more I become a part of history, the more I realize it's already written."

Robert McAllister, Jack & Bobby

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Getting elected in 2040; being deemed "The Great Believer" for his unflagging desire to rise above various hits on his administration

CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Feeling the need to continue his brother's political path after Washington hopeful Jack is killed in a convenience store robbery

... AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "The more I become a part of history, the more I realize it's already written."

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Caroline Reynolds, Prison Break CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Going from vice-president to the nation's highest office after the President's unfortunate – and highly convenient – death CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Framing Lincoln Burrows for her brother's murder; faking cancer and resigning the office after Michael blackmails her with a squicky recording of her talking to her (very much alive) bro … AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "Soft money makes the world go 'round."

Caroline Reynolds, Prison Break

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Going from vice-president to the nation's highest office after the President's unfortunate – and highly convenient – death

CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Framing Lincoln Burrows for her brother's murder; faking cancer and resigning the office after Michael blackmails her with a squicky recording of her talking to her (very much alive) bro

... AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "Soft money makes the world go 'round."

Political Animals - Season 1

Paul Garcetti, Political Animals CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Beating out Elaine Barrish for the party's nomination, leading to his White House win; asking Barrish to join his team as secretary of state CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Unleashing his funky-white-guy dance moves at a campaign rally; presumably dying in an Air Force One crash … AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | “I go on TV to try and communicate a vision, and America collectively turns me off to watch drunk housewives and singing competitions.”

Paul Garcetti, Political Animals

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Beating out Elaine Barrish for the party's nomination, leading to his White House win; asking Barrish to join his team as secretary of state

CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Unleashing his funky-white-guy dance moves at a campaign rally; presumably dying in an Air Force One crash

... AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "I go on TV to try and communicate a vision, and America collectively turns me off to watch drunk housewives and singing competitions."

COMMANDER IN CHIEF

Mackenzie Allen, Commander in Chief CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Assuming the presidency after the President's aneurysm, despite intense pressure to do the opposite (and mainly to spite the stodgy and offensive Speaker of the House); successfully averting a domestic terrorism plot CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Dealing with misinformation leaked by the Speaker; temporarily losing the office to the Speaker when she's felled by an attack of appendicitis … AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "I'm going to go out there, and I'm going to take the oath of office. I'm going to run this government... and if some Islamic nations can't tolerate a female president, then I promise you... it will be more their problem than mine!"

Mackenzie Allen, Commander in Chief

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Assuming the presidency after the President's aneurysm, despite intense pressure to do the opposite (and mainly to spite the stodgy and offensive Speaker of the House); successfully averting a domestic terrorism plot

CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Dealing with misinformation leaked by the Speaker; temporarily losing the office to the Speaker when she's felled by an attack of appendicitis

... AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "I'm going to go out there, and I'm going to take the oath of office. I'm going to run this government... and if some Islamic nations can't tolerate a female president, then I promise you... it will be more their problem than mine!"

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Allison Taylor, 24 CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Refusing to cede an inch of ground to a genocidal dictator, even after her husband is kidnapped; turning in her chief of staff – who's also her daughter! – rather than quietly covering up a murder plot CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Getting taken hostage by said dictator and being forced to deliver a speech apologizing for the U.S.'s actions; allowing former President Charles Logan to sway her into ordering torture of a CTU agent and the assassination of Jack Bauer; resigning the presidency after realizing how low she's sunk … AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "I have a sworn duty to enforce the Constitution. And failing to honor that oath would be the worst kind of hypocrisy."

Allison Taylor, 24

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Refusing to cede an inch of ground to a genocidal dictator, even after her husband is kidnapped; turning in her chief of staff – who's also her daughter! – rather than quietly covering up a murder plot

CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Getting taken hostage by said dictator and being forced to deliver a speech apologizing for the U.S.'s actions; allowing former President Charles Logan to sway her into ordering torture of a CTU agent and the assassination of Jack Bauer; resigning the presidency after realizing how low she's sunk

... AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "I have a sworn duty to enforce the Constitution. And failing to honor that oath would be the worst kind of hypocrisy."

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Laura Roslin, Battlestar Galactica CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Going from secretary of education to president in a day's time, thanks to her status as the highest ranking alive member of government after the Cylon attack; despite having little training for it, keeping a group of severely traumatized refugees together in some semblance of civilization CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Getting thrown into the brig by Adama for basing some political and military actions on the belief that she is a spiritual conduit; faking the death of Sharon and Helo's daughter; contributing to Gaius Baltar's acquittal by taking a hallucinogenic drug that makes her an unfit witness at his trial; not actually getting to enjoy Earth once the group finally lands there … AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "I've played my role in this farce. 'A dying leader will guide the people to the...' Blah, blah, blah. Frakking... Blah, blah. I've been there, I've done that, now what? Is there another role that I have to play for the rest of my life?"

Laura Roslin, Battlestar Galactica

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Going from secretary of education to president in a day's time, thanks to her status as the highest ranking alive member of government after the Cylon attack; despite having little training for it, keeping a group of severely traumatized refugees together in some semblance of civilization

CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Getting thrown into the brig by Adama for basing some political and military actions on the belief that she is a spiritual conduit; faking the death of Sharon and Helo's daughter; contributing to Gaius Baltar's acquittal by taking a hallucinogenic drug that makes her an unfit witness at his trial; not actually getting to enjoy Earth once the group finally lands there

... AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "I've played my role in this farce. 'A dying leader will guide the people to the...' Blah, blah, blah. Frakking... Blah, blah. I've been there, I've done that, now what? Is there another role that I have to play for the rest of my life?"

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Josiah 'Jed' Bartlet, The West Wing CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Making Israelis and Palestinians play nice; mopping the floor with Florida Governor Robert Ritchie in a debate that led to Bartlet winning his second term by a landslide; geting Social Security reform underway; engineering his party's support for successor Matt Santos CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Getting a Congressional censure for hiding his multiple sclerosis from voters; taking a bullet meant for one of his staffers; enduring a MS attack in China that leaves him temporarily wheelchair-bound … AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "There it is. That's the ten word answer my staff's been looking for for two weeks. There it is. Ten-word answers can kill you in political campaigns. They're the tip of the sword. Here's my question: What are the next ten words of your answer? Your taxes are too high? So are mine. Give me the next ten words. How are we going to do it? Give me ten after that, I'll drop out of the race right now. Every once in a while... every once in a while, there's a day with an absolute right and an absolute wrong, but those days almost always include body counts. Other than that, there aren't very many unnuanced moments in leading a country that's way too big for ten words. I'm the President of the United States, not the President of the people who agree with me. And by the way, if the left has a problem with that, they should vote for somebody else.”

Josiah 'Jed' Bartlet, The West Wing

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Making Israelis and Palestinians play nice; mopping the floor with Florida Governor Robert Ritchie in a debate that led to Bartlet winning his second term by a landslide; geting Social Security reform underway; engineering his party's support for successor Matt Santos

CAREER LOWLIGHTS | Getting a Congressional censure for hiding his multiple sclerosis from voters; taking a bullet meant for one of his staffers; enduring a MS attack in China that leaves him temporarily wheelchair-bound

... AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE | "There it is. That's the ten word answer my staff's been looking for for two weeks. There it is. Ten-word answers can kill you in political campaigns. They're the tip of the sword. Here's my question: What are the next ten words of your answer? Your taxes are too high? So are mine. Give me the next ten words. How are we going to do it? Give me ten after that, I'll drop out of the race right now. Every once in a while... every once in a while, there's a day with an absolute right and an absolute wrong, but those days almost always include body counts. Other than that, there aren't very many unnuanced moments in leading a country that's way too big for ten words. I'm the President of the United States, not the President of the people who agree with me. And by the way, if the left has a problem with that, they should vote for somebody else."