They could have JFK, Reagan, Garfield and Lincoln and have a BB Gun giveaway night!

Or make it William Henry Harrison, and have him collapse at the start of every race.

Or Sy Sperling-- they never say it has to be a United States President.

Or Sy Sperling-- they never say it has to be a United States President.

VP Aaron Burr and his illegitimate son, Martin Van Buren.

VP Aaron Burr and his illegitimate son, Martin Van Buren.



wait, what?

I did some cursory searching on the internet after reading the book and did not see this rumor attributed to anything but Vidal's fiction.

There is another curious story which makes Martin Van Buren, eighth President of the United States, to have been the illegitimate son of Aaron Burr. There is no earthly reason for believing this, except that Burr sometimes stopped overnight at the tavern in Kinderhook which was kept by Van Buren's putative father, and that Van Buren in later life showed an astuteness equal to that of Aaron Burr himself, so that he was called by his opponents "the fox of Kinderhook." But, as Van Buren was born in December of the same year (1782) in which Burr was married to Theodosia Prevost, the story is utterly improbable when we remember, as we must, the ardent affection which Burr showed his wife, not only before their marriage, but afterward until her death.

Putting aside these purely spurious instances, as well as others cited by Mr. Parton, the fact remains that Aaron Burr, like Daniel Webster, found a great attraction in the society of women; that he could please them and fascinate them to an extraordinary degree; and that during his later life he must be held quite culpable in this respect. His love-making was ardent and rapid, as we shall afterward see in the case of his second marriage.

Many other stories are told of him. For instance, it is said that he once took a stage-coach from Jersey City to Philadelphia. The only other occupant was a woman of high standing and one whose family deeply hated Aaron Burr. Nevertheless, so the story goes, before they had reached Newark she was absolutely swayed by his charm of manner; and when the coach made its last stop before Philadelphia she voluntarily became his mistress.

It must also be said that, unlike those of Webster and Hamilton, his intrigues were never carried on with women of the lower sort. This may be held by some to deepen the charge against him; but more truly does it exonerate him, since it really means that in many cases these women of the world threw themselves at him and sought him as a lover, when otherwise he might never have thought of them.

Barack Obama, of course! To the victor go the spoils.

They should definitely start doing presidents races with Ben Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and Thomas Edison.

and Martin Sheen

Probably won't be Wilson post-stroke.

Maybe an all military presidents race? Washington, Ike, Grant, and Jackson (Maybe Taylor also and I am sure others I am forgetting).

A very special episode of the racing presidents would be awesome...Wilson in a bed wheeled by wife, FDR in the chair, Eisenhower with his cane and Nixon chasing behind him, Reagan on his operating room bed, Coolidge with a microphone

I absolutely love the idea of a fake presidents race: Martin Sheen, Bill Pullman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Douglas, and Harrison Ford.

Yep, like almost all of them.

Hey I was restricting myself to Generals and those that made their name and ignoring the Carters and JFKs (yes he was famous for PT-109, but it wasn't his main claim to fame). SOrry for not being clear.

Hey I was restricting myself to Generals and those that made their name and ignoring the Carters and JFKs (yes he was famous for PT-109, but it wasn't his main claim to fame). SOrry for not being clear.

In recognition of the Expo legacy, Charles De Gaulle.

probably not recognizable enough. How about Napoleon?

My prediction: JFK, followed by some very unfortunate assassination miming from beer-addled fans (let's face it, there would be some fans who couldn't resist pretending to nail him coming around a turn), creating a PR disaster and causing a quick retirement of the costume.

Lyndon Johnson, on the other hand, would grow and grow. Great face, and a genuinely man.

Can't see it being JFK because of all the assassination jokes, but if they did they could have the mystery gunman to knock him off right before the finish line, and fans could guess at the winner....it's Oswald! No, it's J. Edgar Hoover! It's Giancana! No, it's Castro! Sinatra! LBJ! John Foster Dulles! Prizes to the lucky winners.

great ideas - but in all seriousness, my guess would be Eisenhower, I think the marketing potential there could be pretty huge -- assuming the Nats or MLB are able to safely sell buttons and shirts with "I Like Ike" without violating anyone else's intellectual property rights. Every Nats fan would want one. The promotional campaign writes itself, and is almost guaranteed to rake in money. It also allows you a built-in excuse for the Nats to put out an alternative military-camouflage jersey and other military-style products.

What we need here is Vegas-style odds board.

Taft: 75-1 ... Unfortunately, the comedy angle is the only thing he has going for him.

JFK: no line ... The assassination issue is a huge PR risk.

If I were to put money on it, I'd pick Taft. An hilariously round body with the giant head would be funny to watch, and would appeal to the overweight fans.