Science Fiction for the Next US President

I would go with Cat's Cradle by Vonnegut.

See the cat? See the cradle?

ummmmm.. so many to choose from.... but i would have to say Foundation by Isaac Asimov...

not having read a lot of sci fi but i would recommend c.o.l.a.r (colony of living robots)....i think that's what it was called i read it as a kid. and i remember i really liked it. :)

I would recommend Replay by Ken Grimwood, because maybe if the president liked it enough, they'd finally commit to making a movie. This book BEGS a screenplay, dammit. OK so it's not exactly sci-fi. In that case I'd recommend Nightfall by Asimov and Robert Silverberg. Great parable about undiscovered science vs religious conviction.

Jurassic Park. At least if McCain wins he'll be able to identify with the dinos that roamed the earth during his childhood.

Incidentally I still say Bush has based most of his presidency on President Clark from Babylon 5. (And I know for a fact he was a fan of the show.)

The Necronomicon. An army of the dead I think we could deal with, but I don't know that we will be able to handle the terror either of the two clowns this two party system will choose between.

Bill Clinton seemed to have based his presidency on Zaphod Beeblebrox from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - an ex-hippie whose job was not to actually wield power, but to draw attention away from what was really going on in the world with his antics.

Likewise, (although I like Obama) I would say that both Clinton's and Obama's campaigns are reminiscent of Fahrenheit 451 commentary about how candidates are sold to the public. One is celebrity material, the other is clearly not - who is the television-watching public going to pick?

I would say a president should read Atlas Shrugged, Slaughterhouse 5, and God Bless you Mister Rosewater - then let his brain work it out between the opposing perspectives.

Heinlein's "Starship Troopers". If there's a better social commentary out there, I haven't read it. The only people who should have the right to vote, hold office, or even be a citizen, are those who have proven their willingness to put society's needs above their own.

The book- not the movie that shared the same title, but really had little else in common. :(

"Ender's game", definitely.

Philip K(indred) Dick

Anthem

The Mote in God's Eye. Or perhaps even Dune...just the first book.