Simpson, eh? Homer voted greatest American

Homer Simpson, the beer-drinking, donut-scarfing, bumbling nuclear-power plant technician of the Fox cartoon "The Simpsons" is the leading choice in an online poll to be named the "greatest American."

The animated buffoon ranks ahead of real-life heroes including Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.

The poll is part of an upcoming broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corporation which will "confront the critical question at the heart of the 21st century – what does the world think of America?"

The program, which airs Tuesday night in the UK and will be available for download from the BBC website, will undoubtedly serve as a sounding board for those opposed to the U.S.-led military operation in Iraq.

The BBC created a shortlist of ten candidates based on nominations it received from the public, and the top votegetters rank in this order:

1. Homer Simpson 2. Abraham Lincoln 3. Martin Luther King Jr. 4. Thomas Jefferson 5. Mr. T of the "A-Team" 6. Bob Dylan 7. George Washington 8. Franklin D. Roosevelt 9. Benjamin Franklin 10. Bill Clinton

Ironically, not only is Homer Simpson a fictional character, he apparently is also not an American.

His creator, cartoonist Matt Groening, told an audience in Montreal that Homer was named for Groening's real-life own father, Homer Groening, who hails from Canada.

"That would make Homer Simpson a Canadian," Matt told the Winnipeg Sun. "I hope Canadians won't hold it against the show now that they know."

A fan of the show noted, "Homer eats foods commonly associated with Canada: Donuts, beer, bacon, and has been know to have a glass of maple syrup for breakfast."

Hey Brits! Homer is Canadian! Doh!

Simpsons creator reveals Homer is Canadian

Matt Groening claims Homer Simpson is Canadian.

The character is based on The Simpsons creator's dad - also called Homer - who was born near Winnipeg.

"I hope Canadians won't hold it against the show now that they know," Groening told Canadian website Jam! Showbiz.

"We were counting on Canadians feeling superior to the Simpsons as being doltish Americans but now the secret is out."

The poll is part of an upcoming broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corporation which will "confront the critical question at the heart of the 21st century – what does the world think of America?"

One thing I want the world to know about us is that we don't spend our time worrying about what they think about us. We have enough to keep us occupied. We also don't have TV shows asking, "What does America think of the UK? or France? or the rest of the world?"

I guess this sort of thing comes with the territory of being the world's greatest superpower--the rest of the world obsesses over us and studies us like we're some naked natives from National Geographic.

(Picture a National Geographic special detailing the anthropological study of the member of that tribe known as 'Americans'...imagine the breathless voiceover of the narrator as the film shows commuter traffic...)

"As we further looked into the ritual driving habits of the natives, we noticed a curious phenomenon. These Americans are fond of plastering their cars with strange bumper stickers, many of them with ritualistic religious messages on them. What purpose does this serve? Anthropologists who have studied this phenomenon believe this is part of some religious or political ritual behavior..."

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