We're not particularly surprised that Obama loves Game of Thrones, nor that he's already watching the new season. His nerd credentials were established long ago with his collection of Spider-man and Conan comic books, his love of Mythbusters and his keen references to Star Trek and Star Wars. But Game of Thrones is a particularly apt choice, because Obama has so perfectly channeled different characters at different points in his presidency, and not always to his benefit. The only question is which character he should settle on to close out his presidency.

2004: THE PERFECT CANDIDATE

I have it in me to be a great king, strong yet generous, clever, just, diligent, loyal to my friends and terrible to my enemies, yet capable of forgiveness, patient." -- Renly Baratheon

Renly was the youngest of King Robert's brothers, and significantly down the line of succession. However, his dazzling personal charisma allowed him to recruit an army of 100,000 men to put him on the Iron Throne. Likewise, when Barack Obama gave his "Audacity of Hope" speech at the Democratic Convention in 2004, he was a mere State Senator. The power of his delivery and his message of hope, change, and national unity brought an army of volunteers to his side.

2007-2008: THE PERFECT CAMPAIGN

"I swear to you, I was never so alive as when I was winning this throne." – King Robert

When Mad King Aerys called for Robert Baratheon's head, Robert rose in rebellion against him. Badly outnumbered, the Lord of Storm's End fought a brilliant series of battles that united four of the Seven Kingdoms behind him, defeated two different royal armies, and won him the Iron Throne. Likewise, when Barack Obama ran for the Democratic nomination against Hillary Clinton in 2008, he was considered to have little chance of victory; however, a brilliant campaign focused on dominating caucus states and using his vast army of supporters to conduct field and fundraising got him the Democratic nomination, and then the Presidency.

2009: A MISGUIDED ATTEMPT AT BIPARTISANSHIP

Otherwise known as the guy who was poisoned to death in the first episode of the series, Jon Arryn was King Robert's pragmatic deputy when they took over the realm. Instead of prosecuting Jaime Lannister for killing the last King, he pardoned him and kept him on the protecting-the-king-from-assassins team. Arryn also continued to employ Varys the eunuch spymaster despite his feeding the Mad King's paranoia, and Maester Pycelle who convinced the last king to open the gates of King's Landing and lose the war even more quickly. Likewise, in putting together a new Administration in the midst of an economic crisis, Obama opted to keep on a number of Clinton and Bush-era officials (Bernanke, Geithner, Summers), only later realizing how this would transfer much of the public ire at the Bush-era financial bailouts onto his shoulders. He also convinced Defense Secretary Robert Gates to stay aboard, giving him plenty of material for his furious tell-all memoir.

2010: POLITICAL DEFEAT DESPITE HUGE TRIUMPHS

"There are many who know that without you this city faced certain defeat. The king won't give you any honors, the histories won't mention you, but we will not forget. " – Varys on Tyrion

As Hand of the King, Tyrion Lannister used his cunning, his courage, and his hard work to successfully defend King's Landing from Stannis Baratheon's vastly larger army; however, the smallfolk found it easy to blame "the twisted demon monkey" for the starvation they had suffered during the siege, and Tyrion's defense of the city was forgotten the moment he was toppled from power. Likewise, in his first term, Obama brought about economic recovery with the stimulus and passed the Affordable Care Act, and yet his reward for these historical accomplishments was the rise of the Tea Party.

2011: DECISIONS TO TRUST THE WRONG PEOPLE

"You are an honest and honorable man...Oftimes I forget that. I have met so few of them in my life...when I see what honesty and honor have won you, I understand why." – Varys on Ned

When he was named Robert's Hand of the King, Eddard Stark was hamstrung by his attempts to deal fairly with Littlefinger, Varys, Pycelle, and Cersei. He trusted everyone too much, assuming they followed the same code of honor as he did. Likewise, following the 2010 midterms, Obama was repeatedly hurt in his negotiations with John Boehner because of his assumptions that the House Republicans would negotiate in good faith. Thankfully, Obama fared much better in winning re-election than poor Ned Stark.

AN OVERRELIANCE ON NEWFANGLED AERIAL WEAPONS

"DRACARYS!"- Daenerys Targaryen

For a few hundred years, the Targaryens ruled Westeros through fire and blood. When lords rebelled, they faced dragons from above. It worked for a long time, until all the dragons died. Obama squashed threats to America by raining hellfire from above, and had the same problem: civilian casualties causing even more enemies than before.

AN ADDICTION TO INTELLIGENCE AT ALL COSTS

"I understand your misgivings, my lord. Truly, I do. It is a terrible thing we must consider, a vile thing. Yet we who presume to rule must sometimes do vile things for the good of the realm." -- Varys

Nothing is said or done in King's Landing without Varys the Spider hearing of it – but for all his "assistance" to Ned Stark and Tyrion Lannister, Varys' ultimate loyalties are unclear to those he serves. While the NSA runs a close second to Varys when it comes to universal espionage, we can only hope that they don't intend to install a dragon-riding monarchy.

WHO HE NEEDS TO BE MORE LIKE, STARTING NOW

"I never asked for this, no more than I asked to be king…Yet we must ... we must do our duty, no? Great or small, we must do our duty." – Stannis Baratheon

One of the best qualities that any leader can have is their ability to bounce back after a setback and learn from their mistakes. When Stannis lost the Battle of the Blackwater at the end of Season 2, he spent most of Season 3 in a depressed, unshaven funk. However, now he's got Davos as his Hand of the King/personal Jimminy Cricket and a mysterious mission in the North. Likewise, 2013 had been a tough year for Obama, but he's still got three years to go. The only way he is going to bounce back is by being as determined as Stannis, and as crafty in tight situations.

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