Slideshow: 15 people I'd prefer to vote for, for President

With the election only three weeks away, it's becoming clear that I'm going to need to pick a horse to ride really soon. And yet, after watching the second Presidential debate -- which my wife characterized as "children fighting again" -- I still find myself disliking both choices.

I've been finding myself day-dreaming about the people I'd prefer to vote for, if I were given the chance.

ZDNet Government's coverage of Election 2012:

• An undecided voter and the first-debate blues
• An undecided voter on President Obama's convention
• Diary of an undecided voter (GOP convention edition)
• Well, there it is. Santorum is out and the real presidential campaign begins today.
• Delegate math shows Santorum and brokered conventions both out of the running soon
• Not-so-super Tuesday, predictions for what comes next
• So, seriously, do the Dems want to lose the election?
• Romney on fire, Paul pulls into second
• Paul's got legs, Romney feet of clay, and Santorum grew wings
• Are these really the best America has to offer? (Campaign 2012)
• Campaign 2012: Once every four years, I wish I lived in Iowa
• What was Mitt Romney trying to hide by destroying hard drives?
• Is there any possible way Jesse Ventura could win the Presidency?
• Ranking GOP candidates on tech savvy, craziness, and electability

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Ronald Reagan

What can you say about Ronnie? If you're a Republican, apparently not enough. What's strange is that if Ronald Reagan were running today, the far-right wing would probably find him unacceptably centrist. It's a shame, because we could use a genuinely centrist Republican.

Image courtesy the Reagan Archives (via Wikimedia Commons).

Bill Clinton

I've never hidden the fact that Bill Clinton's reality distortion field surrounds me every time he talks. Even though he initiated the deregulation that ultimately resulted in the banking failures we had to bail out in 2009 -- and there was that unfortunate incident with the cigar -- our economy soared during Bill's time as Pres.

Image courtesy the National Archives.

Joe Biden

There is no way Joe Biden could survive a run to President on his own. Half the populace considers him a buffoon. Of course, half the populace thinks the world is 6,000 years old and global warming doesn't exist, so there's that. What I've always liked about Biden is he's one of the true genuine politicians -- and that's part of why he's so disrespected. He's also one of the smartest foreign policy strategists in Washington, and in a world with so much unrest, that's important.

Image courtesy Senate.gov Web site.

Ron Paul

With one or two exceptions, Ron Paul got everything right. He's one of the few politicians these days willing to actually abide by, and revere, the United States Constitution.

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons and R. DeYoung.

Newt Gingrich

Professor Newt is a very smart man, and although some of his policies scare me, any politician whose favorite book series is Asimov's Foundation series deserves a chance in the big white house.

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons and Gage Skidmore.

Donald Trump

Look, I make part of my living writing about politics. There would be an unending supply of good material if The Hair went to Washington.

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons and Gage Skidmore.

Bill Gates

Before Bill Gates retired in order to change the world, he built Microsoft into a powerhouse. Sure, Microsoft's having a bit of a rough time of it today, but you can't blame Bill for that. More to the point, Mr. Gates has become one of the greatest philanthropists in history, and with a level of caring about the health of the world that would be good to see sitting behind the Resolute desk.

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons and the Archive of the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland.

Mark Zuckerberg

I have made no secret of my general distaste for Facebook, but Zuckerberg has proven he can unite the world. With about a billion users, Zuckerberg and Facebook have probably brought together more people on Planet Earth than anyone else in history. Given that we're so polarized in this country as it is, any unifying influence is a good thing.

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons and Brian Solis.

R. Lee Ermey

If we can't all just get along by judicious use of social media, maybe former Marine Corps drill instructor "Gunny" R. Lee Ermey could whip us in shape. Americans (many of us are quite out of shape as it is) could benefit from Sarge's no-nonsense approach to getting things done. Besides, he'd scare the heck out of most politicians now in Washington.

Image courtesy United States Marines.

Josiah Bartlett

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction and sometimes fiction is more comforting than truth. Josiah Bartlett (the TV character, not the actual Declaration signatory) served as fictional President of the United States for seven years. While he was decidedly liberal, he was also tough and fair -- and sure seemed a lot more like what a President should be than what we're going to have to choose from in November.

Image of Martin Sheen courtesy United States Navy.

Charlie Sheen

Well, since we just had Martin Sheen (who embodied Jed Bartlett) as our previous pick, it's only fair to add Charlie Sheen to our presidential rogue's gallery. While he might not make the best President, the partying Charlie Sheen would certainly be able to build rapport with the Secret Service.

Yes. I went there. And yes, this whole thing was a build-up for a Secret Service gag. Guilty as charged.

Image courtesy Aspen Police Department (seriously).

Ben Franklin

I really do wonder what Ben Franklin would be like if he were around today. He's the "most likely to have been President, but wasn't" among our founding fathers, and I'm sure he'd make a good President today as well. Of course, he'd have to keep his libido in his pants, and both sides would probably consider him too wacky even to nominate.

Image courtesy the White House.

Nikola Tesla

If Abraham Lincoln could be a vampire hunter, then Nikola Tesla (who has been portrayed as a vampire on TV) could be President. In all seriousness, Nikola spent his life trying to find free and cheap energy solutions for the world. Granted, some of his experiments, if carried out to their logical conclusion, might have set our atmosphere ablaze, but isn't that a fair price to pay for unlimited, free energy pulled from the air around us?

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Me

Half of you claim that I'm liberal, half of you claim you know for a fact I'm a conservative. Half of you claim I'm a secret Democrat, while the other half of you claim I'm hiding my Republican roots. In reality, I can't stand either party. But the simple fact that I'd put America first over either party puts me head and shoulders above any of our current politicians.

Image courtesy David Gewirtz media archive.

You

Ultimately, the President is supposed to be the representative of the people, the best-of-the-best of what America has to offer. When I think of the best-of-the-best of what America has to offer, I think of you, Dear Readers, and that's why I'd prefer to vote for you as President over our current choices.

Image courtesy the magic of PowerPoint.