DENNIS HAYSBERT SAYS '24' ROLE WAS IMPORTANT: Actor believes character got Americans acclimated to black president.

Dennis Haysbert, who played the President of the United States on the Fox action drama "24," says his African American character paved the way for America's acceptance of black presidential candidate Barack Obama. "As far as the public is concerned, it did open up their minds and their hearts a little bit to the notion that if the right man came along… that a black man could be president of the United States,” the actor tells TV Guide's Jan. 21 issue, “People on the street would ask me to run for office... when I went to promote [24]." Haysbert, who is an Obama supporter, says President Palmer has a number of things in common with the Illinois Democrat besides skin color. Both Palmer and Obama were senators and both campaigned in their mid-40s. "I think we both have a similar approach to who and what we believe the president is,” Haysbert said in another interview with the Los Angeles Times. “Barack doesn't get angry.  He's pretty level.  That's how I portrayed President Palmer: as a man with control over his emotions and great intelligence.” SOURCE OF THIS STORY