Passion for the presidency?

Call me uninformed, but until this morning's e-mail I didn't realize there was a "Draft Mel Gibson for President" movement. Did you?

I headed right over to the official web site and clicked on "Why Mel Gibson?" I could not help but be impressed when I read the first sentence: "Every new idea raises overt and subliminal questions in our minds." Wow, overt AND subliminal! But the overt ones are enough for now, thanks.

Dr. Hurt (for Robert D. Hurt, who operates the site is a DDS, which is about all I could find out about him) then promises us that "by utilizing Rudyard Kipling's, '6 faithful servants,' we will answer those questions. They are: 'Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How?' Here's the answer to "Why?":

Is there really anyone who does not see the magnitude of the problems which weigh us down, the ineffectiveness of what we are and have been doing, the angst of foreseeing nothing but more of the same?

We surely need someone with courage, conviction, intelligence, imagination, dedication, and strength of character. We certainly don’t need someone who has come up through the political ranks. These sorts, because of the “pay back” nature of political contributions, owe far too much to the financial powers which have brought about his (or her) election.

[snip]

Think of it: helping to elect someone who does not owe his life and soul to moneyed interests which have for far too many years controlled government policy. This will be a “gorilla-political war” with each individual citizen doing, in his or her own way, whatever legal thing he or she can think of to promote Mel’s election.

Yes, a "gorilla-political" war ... Well, there's a chimp, at least, already occupying a high office.

And how about this bit of "logic": "If Hollywood’s Ronald Reagan can do well so can Hollywood’s Mel Gibson." By God, that's good enough for me! Forget experience, knowledge of the diplomatic world, expertise in international affairs, or a grasp of the economy, environment, social issues, and civil liberties. What we need is someone who once played William Wallace in a movie!

A Google search revealed that this movement has been afoot since at least April, when Samuel Blumenfeld suggested to Lee Button, chairman of the Constitution Party of New Hampshire, the "brilliant idea" (as Sam so modestly characterized it) of having Mel Gibson run as the presidential nominee of that party:

Indeed, Gibson would be an ideal candidate of a party that mentions the name Jesus Christ in the Preamble to its platform.

Yes, it makes perfect sense. The man who made the story of Jesus into a torture flick should definitely be the choice of the Constitution Party.

There is only one mention of Christ in WriteinMelGibsonforPresident.org:

Would Mel do it? There have been many historical instances when people outside the contemporary arena yet possessing great qualities of leadership and integrity have been thrust (drafted) into the battle, risen to the occasion, and often carried the day. Even those who were seemingly defeated, as was Christ, were the ultimate victors. Everything I know about Mel Gibson leads me to believe he is not the “non serviam” type.

This almost offhand allusion to Jesus Christ in an otherwise secular site designed to appeal to a wide range of people is, of course, a dead giveaway. And what a subtle comparison of Christ to Mel himself!

There is also a Mel Gibson 4 President on-line petition. When I visited the site, the petition had been signed by all of 37 people (Dr. Hurt's site, which is apparently brand new, boasts 17 on-line members). I was unable to discover when the petition had been posted or anything else about Mel Gibson 4 President.

So there you have it, folks. At least three people who have called for Mel Gibson to do the honorable thing and bow to being drafted as a presidential nominee. What are the chances of their dream coming true? I couldn't possibly put it better, or with a more original metaphor, than Dr. Hurt:

This is far from an impossible dream. Only 35% of the popular vote is needed. The current longstanding, frustrating, and questionable political system will be caught flat-footed by this surprise election end run culminating in the completion of the ultimate “Hail Mary” pass in the end zone.