From the search for a superstar, American Idol, the FX cable network has developed the search for a president, American Candidate.

That's right: these entertainment experts watched the American Idol show and decided to combine politics with entertainment like never before.

The political "reality" show will air 13 episodes starting in January 2004 but will begin the process next month for the search for 100 candidates.

The idea is for the public to watch and then vote for their 2004 "American" candidate in the presidential race. It sounds more like it will be the best "actor" candidate instead of a true American candidate. For instance, Kelly Clarkson, the "American idol," had no previous professional singing lessons and somehow won the hearts of 57 percent of the viewers.

According to the American Idol Web site, this television program was "America's biggest TV show ever" with 25 million viewers. It is a scary reality that this American Candidate show might actually be engaging 25 million Americans to watch it, and then those same junk food TV watchers might vote for "their candidate."

This is a complete mockery of democracy. Democracy is built on the virtue that anyone can become president in America; this show changes the game plan.
The qualifications now are that a candidate must have a Brad Pitt appearance, have the charm and sweetness of Meg Ryan, and have the moves of Elvis Presley.

Documentarian R.J. Cutler is helping create the show. "The winner of American Candidate will be a TV star with (high name recognition)," he said, according to www.msnbc.com.

The idea of the people developing this TV program is to make an actor out of the contestants running for president.

We don't need actors who can lie and get away with it. If Bill Clinton had a little more acting experience, he might have gotten away with his little romantic fling.

We already mistrust some of our politicians, but if we are going to turn our politicians into actors, that creates the possibility of complete distrust to our "acting" politicians, because how are we going to know when they are acting and when they are being honest?

The American public worships its actors as actual idols and gods, and it is not because of what the actors stand for or what they believe; it is because of their looks, charm and acting.

It is crazy that we would try to elect a president with the same eyes we view actors. Our presidents are leaders who do things for the public good, not followers who do things only for the public eye.

If we elect a president off this American Candidate show, is he or she going to be too busy on Oprah and Good Morning America for foreign affairs?

The power of television cannot be underestimated. The average number of hours per week spent watching TV in U.S. households was 60.3 hours in 2001/02, according to www.cabletvbureau.com.

Jesse Ventura became governor of Minnesota due to his television and wrestling fame. Clarkson was a nobody until American Idol led her to a nomination for the new favorite artist in the 2003 American Music Awards.

This show sounds like a great entertainment piece, but it is a dangerous and scary reality if we are going to elect someone to our highest office for four years after watching him or her for 13 shows on TV.

The show should be viewed as an entertainment option, not a consumer option. It is even more dangerous than marrying someone after a few episodes like in The Bachelor. Americans should come to the realization that "reality" TV is not reality and our lives should not revolve around television. Neither should our government.