Sony PicturesYou'd think, after all these years, George Clooney would have played the president by now.
The closest he got was an Ohio governor trying for the Democratic nomination in 2011's Ides of March.
But perhaps Clooney is saving the role of commander in chief for real-life.
I'm just going to say it—George Clooney should run for president.
He's got what it takes: name recognition, money, good looks and, most importantly, the smarts. (And let's admit it—first Lady Amal Clooney sounds pretty darn good, too!)
In the last decade or so, Clooney has become a political powerhouse. His first big foreign policy splash came in 2003 when he went public with his opposition to the Iraq War.
"You can't beat your enemy anymore through wars; instead you create an entire generation of people revenge-seeking," Clooney reportedly said during an appearance on a German television show. "Our opponents are going to resort to car bombs and suicide attacks because they have no other way to win."
Clooney is also a man of action. In 2012, he was arrested in Washington, D.C., during a protest outside Sudan's embassy to bring attention to the violence and human rights abuses in Darfur. Two days before he was cuffed, Clooney not only testified before the Senate foreign relations committee about the crisis, but he also met with President Barack Obama at the White House to voice his concerns.
And his work didn't end there. He helped finance a satellite (yes, a satellite!) to monitor Darfur and when he felt the world needed a reminder about the situation, he co-wrote an op-ed piece for The New York Times last year headlined, "George Clooney on Sudan's Rape of Darfur."
Moreover, Clooney is a uniter. In 2010, he leapt into action when the Haiti earthquake hit to organize Hope for Haiti Now, a star-studded telethon that raised $61 million for the country's disaster relief.
The list of his humanitarian efforts goes on.
We also know where he stands on taxes. In an interview with Time in 2011, he said he thinks the rich should pay more taxes. "Asking people who have been lucky enough to make a great deal of money to participate more is a patriotic thing to do," he said. "I don't know how you argue against it." (His new movie Money Monster, premiering later this week at the Cannes Film Festival, takes a big swing at greedy Wall Street.)
And speaking of money, Clooney already knows how to fund-raise for a campaign. Just last month, he secured a whopping $15 million for Hillary Clinton. He did the same for Obama with a dinner at his L.A. house in 2012.
"We need more people like Clooney in public life," says Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart. "He's thoughtful, committed and determined to make a difference. His ability to raise money for other candidates proves that he could raise money for himself. He would bring a level of seriousness to elective politics that is eroding faster than a shoreline in hurricane season."
But, Capehart warns, "Everything Clooney has done or said (or didn't do or say) would be up for public inspection and ridicule. He would have to answer for things that mean nothing in everyday life but take on a life of their own when under the presidential prism. Clooney has more power outside of the Oval Office than he would ever have in the harsh process of getting there. He's a smart man. I can't imagine he would subject himself to the ridiculousness of a presidential run."
Perhaps Clooney should begin paving his way to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with something more local. Consider this—at 55, Clooney is the same age Ronald Reagan was when he became the governor of California in 1966.
The Golden State's next gubernatorial election is in 2018.
I'm with George—are you?