FX wants show to select a candidate for president

NEW YORK -- There's a real president, a fictional president on "The West Wing," so why not a presidential candidate chosen by television viewers?

That's what the FX network hopes to produce. The cable channel announced last week the start of a series, "American Candidate," designed to pick a TV-endorsed potential president.

"We think it's a marriage of a tried-and-true concept, as shown by 'American Idol,' with a down-home political spin to it," said Peter Liguori, FX president. "We are a nation where, quote-unquote, anybody can become president, and this is a concept that gives everyday folks a forum to express their point of view and have people respond to it."

The series will begin in early 2004 and culminate around July 4 with a live show at The Mall in Washington, D.C., where viewers will choose their favorite candidate for president.

FX has no idea whether the winner will then actually run for president.

"We're just out to make a good, entertaining TV show," Liguori said.