James Dale

James Dale was the president of the United States of America during the Martian Invasion of 1996.

Mars Attacks! (1996)
Having been alerted of the Martian spaceships approaching Earth, James Dale was one of the first to learn of the aliens' arrival. He soon addressed the nation and, after consulting scientists who had invented a Martian translation machine, he set up a first contact meeting with the Martians near Pahrump, Nevada, wisely choosing General Casey over the warmongering General Decker to make contact with the Martian Ambassador. President Dale watched the historic development on television with his wife, Marsha and daughter, Taffy. The Martian Ambassador claimed to "come in peace", but, when a hippie released a dove into the air, the Martians attacked, massacring the assembled humans.

Believing that the Martians mistook the dove for a symbol of war, President Dale urged Professor Donald Kessler to negotiate with the Martians. The Martian Ambassador agreed to re-negotiate and asked to speak before congress. However, the Martians opened fire on the congressmen and journalists, captured Professor Kessler when he begged them to stop, and retreated back into space. Although General Decker urged him to launch a nuclear attack against the Martians, Dale refused.

Later, Martian Girl seduced and killed Jerry Ross to gain access to the White House and attempted to assassinate President Dale, although she was detected by the President's dog, Rusty, who she incinerated. The dog's barking, however, alerted James and Marsha and the Martian was killed by the secret service.

After the failed assassination attempt, the Martians attacked Washington D.C. and stormed the White House. In the chaos, Taffy was separated from her parents, Marsha was crushed to death by the Nancy Reagan Chandelier, and James Dale was evacuated to a bunker by the secret service.

As he nervously pondered the situation from the bunker, the President was contacted by the President of France, who said he had come to a settlement with the Martian Ambassador. Knowing the Martians' intentions, Dale warned the French President to get out, but his warning came too late, as the Martians killed the French President and destroyed the Eiffel Tower. Eventually, the Martian Leader and his bodyguards breached the bunker where Dale had been taken and killed general Decker. As the Martians were about to turn their fire on him, President Dale gave an impassioned speech, begging the Martian leader for peace between the two planets. The Martian appeared touched by the President's words, shedding a tear and moving to shake hands with him. However, the Hand the President shook was revealed to be a robot hand, which impales the president through the chest, killing him. The hand, still planted in Dale's corpse, sprouted a flag, which laid claim to the planet in the name of Mars.