[Epapazian]

Suppose our leading political figures were diecast aircraft fans and collectors. What would be their favorite planes? Here are my picks:

1) Barak Obama: F-80 Shooting Star

2) Hillary Clinton: P-61 Black Widow

3) Bill Clinton: Any Mirage

4) John McCain: A-4 Skyhawk

5) Mike Huckabee: Curtiss Jenny

Anyone care to comment or add a few to this list?

[Captain Eddie]

Epapazion, though I bet others will come up with some good ones, I think you've done a pretty good job, especially on the Clintons. The only one I'm not sure about is for Huckabee (though a Jenny is not bad).

[mikeb1958]

Originally Posted by Epapazian

Anyone care to comment or add a few to this list?

If McCain gets another A-4, he might get shot down again except it won't be over Hanoi but Afganistan this time.

[Cavtanker]

Maybe Huckabee can be a C-130. Early popularity, but now faded into the background. But still keepin' on with keepin' on.

[no4mkit]

Well for McCain it has to be the A-4...

Obama - anything wearing a red star..

and Hillary, I'd suggest the one she resembles the most - a Chinook. It's loud, kicks up a lot of dirt and carries a huge underslung load.

[flyXwire]

Originally Posted by no4mkit

...and Hillary, I'd suggest the one she resembles the most - a Chinook. It's loud, kicks up a lot of dirt and carries a huge underslung load.

That's a good one, no4mkit! :LOL

[Cavtanker]

Originally Posted by flyXwire

That's a good one, no4mkit! :LOL

And both of them have been around since the 1960s!

[Shawn 507]

Originally Posted by Epapazian

Suppose our leading political figures were diecast aircraft fans and collectors. What would be their favorite planes? Here are my picks:

1) Barak Obama: F-80 Shooting Star I concur

2) Hillary Clinton: P-61 Black Widow Hard to beat that one, maybe the U2 since she wants to be in all our business

3) Bill Clinton: Any Mirage A6 intruder as he can't keep out! And I'll leave it there

4) John McCain: A-4 Skyhawk Do you think he still likes that bird?

5) Mike Huckabee: Curtiss Jenny C-130 takes a beating and keeps on going

Anyone care to comment or add a few to this list?

[Epapazian]

Perhaps we should add Al Gore to the list. I think Al's favorite diecast might be the C-119 Flying Boxcar. Or he might prefer that Model Power Blimp.

[DADoser]

Narrowed down to US WWII fighters and the top 3 candidates (and expanding the original question):

Obama –
P-51 Mustang – slick ; looks great; the latest thing; fast…….however, VERY vulnerable to a hit in the right area. One well-placed shot could knock it out of the sky. (The plane you want your girlfriend to see you photographed beside, but may not be the plane that will bring you home.)

McCain –
P-47 Thunderbolt – Not the prettiest thing, but rugged and will take a lot of punishment. Will complete the mission and bring the pilot home in one piece. Effective and excellent performance in multiple roles.

Clinton –
P-39 – If ceiling equals overall approval ratings, then the P-39 will never get above its maximum ceiling to fight and win against/with the other fighters. However, it its specific role and realizing its limitations, will perform quite effectively…..an excellent ground support craft and crucial part of the victory (i.e. probably a very good senator – not what we need in the presidential role.)

Each plane mentioned has its own limitations, and on its own could not have brought the victory in WWII. In addition to the Fighter, also other effective weapons needed to be deployed effectively and in a unified manner. Bombers; tanks; ground forces; even cooks and supply clerks needed to work together toward the common goal. Additionally – not to be forgotten is/was the role of other foreign allies, etc. etc……..

I could go on, but the point is made. Regardless of the “plane” in the White House, its going to take a unified, non-partisan, non-US alone, effort to face the issues the next president will face.