On Thursday, March 19, Barack Obama will stump his economic rescue plan on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Obama might be the first sitting president to guest a late-night talk show, but politicians--especially presidential hopefuls--are no strangers to popular TV. In today's TNR slideshow, we look back at politicians' televised attempts, from the surprisingly deft to the exquisitely awkward, to win over voters and boost their personal ratings.
-- Elizabeth Sher