THANKING THE ACADEMY FOR THE PRESIDENCY

Former U.S. vice-president Al Gore delivers the keynote address on "Thinking Green" to a Silicon Valley group in San Jose, Calif., on Feb. 2, 2007.

I can't vote in American elections, so I can say this with no fear of being called partisan.

Well, I guess you could call me a gun-hating, Medicare-boosting Canuck surrender monkey, but let me say this anyway.

Former vice-president Al Gore will be the next president of the United States.

Why? Because on Feb. 25 he's going to win the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for An Inconvenient Truth, his exposé about global warming that is having a big impact on the global village consciousness.

Gore is on the side of the angels and of history with this issue, and he's been leading the charge. Even Canada's Conservative Prime Minster Stephen Harper is turning green with envy -- and with a eye to a coming election.

Wiser political minds than mine insist that Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, or John Edwards will be the next president.

I say the three are just worthy contenders for the crown, which will ultimately be placed on the head of Gore.

Global warming has become the issue of current times, replacing global terrorism as the nightmare scenario.

Gore offers hope and action. Just ask the people who hand out the Nobel Prizes, whom this week nominated Gore for a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to save the planet.

The guy could have both an Oscar and a Nobel this year.  A perfect way to launch a campaign for a presidential race you know he's going to enter, despite all the non-denial denials.  He's being smart and letting Clinton, Barack and Edwards tear themselves apart before committing.

But he will. And he will win. Always trust a Canadian, eh?

Incidentally, An Inconvenient Truth just might be the first Oscar-nominated film to be linked to a presidential candidate, potential or otherwise. It might even be the first linked to any kind of active politician.

It's hard to verify that claim but even the Academy library staff can't think of a similar situation in the past.

"No one has jumped to mind," said librarian Libby Wertin, who has been asked the question before.

She qualified that by saying the Academy doesn't have the time or resources to do an exhaustive search.

"That's not part of the information we keep in our database," she told me. "We have no way of answering. It's just too broad a scope."

Wertin suggested I do my own digging, using the Academy online archive of Oscar nominees and winners.

I stuck with documentaries because I don't think a feature like All the President's Men would count. Nothing came up under "president" or "presidential."

For non-elected leaders, there were better results.

Interesting things came up under "king" and "queen."

A King's Story, a movie about royal abdicator King Edward VIII, was nominated for Best Documentary Feature in 1967.

A Queen is Crowned, a movie about the 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, was nominated in the same category in 1954.

That's the same Queen Elizabeth, by the way, who is the subject of The Queen, the current Best Picture nominee.

Comments

[d. lee]

Does the name Ronald Reagan ring a bell? But forget it, I'm with you. Al's my guy and has been since he first declared but lost in the primaries to Bill Clinton. RUN, AL, RUN!

[Oren Goldschmidt]

From your fingers to God's LCD...

[RICHARD LUNDIE]

After watching this film last week I have to say there is NO COMPARISON between Al Gore and the current president of the USA, Al Gore seems like a kind, intelligent, Charismatic man who would have nothing but the best interestes of America sn the world at heart. I am from London and if he were to move over here he'd get my vote 10 out of 10 times.
You can tell a slimy manipulative politcian who is only in it mainly for personal gain (ahem - George W "watch this drive" Bush) GOD whats wrong with everyone? how can this man be America's president?

VOTE FOR AL

[Peter]

I don't think you're right, but then I really hope I'm wrong. Gore would be excellent, I'd vote for him again in a second.

[Gary Demos]

I think that out of the field of presidential candidates...... I like Dennis Kucinich..... but I don't think he has a viable chance of winning the Democratic Primary. Al Gore would be my second choice. I do think he has the media exposure to help him get out the vote for himself. I am suspicious of anyone who has wielded enough power to win Sentaorial elections and the Vice Presidency. It appears to me that you have to sacrifice your ideals to be acceptable to big business interests and the power structures that dictate acceptable candidates. Al Gore has focused his life on an issue that seems to be of importance to everybody on the planet...... maybe he has transcended "good old boy" politics.

[dan]

If Al Gore becomes president, it will be the end of global warming...because hell will have frozen over.

Hey Canuck, maybe you should worry about your own issues before pretending to have an understanding of American politics.

Al Gore??? He'd never survive his primary!