Mistaking Celebrity for Credibility

Despite its dismal political sensibilities, I'm a massive fan of the first four seasons of The West Wing. It lost some of its pep when creator and head writer Aaron Sorkin left before season five, but it still remained one of the more interesting dramas on network television. And even though I stopped watching completely somewhere in the middle of the sixth season, I was sad to see the show go; it was one of the few mainstream political dramas to actually deal with issues (albeit with an admittedly clear bias) rather than just demand that viewers agree. The New York Times has an article on the series' demise today, and buried half way through, there's a fascinating quote from Martin Sheen, who played the show's President:

Mr. Sheen was offered an opportunity to see how his character's appeal would play in a real-life campaign. Not long ago, he said, he was approached by Democratic Party representatives from his native state, Ohio, to see if he would be interested in running for the United States Senate after he left the show. Though he would have had little trouble drafting a campaign platform — he is a fierce opponent of nuclear power and the war in Iraq, and a champion of human rights — he turned them down.

"I'm just not qualified," he said. "You're mistaking celebrity for credibility."

What's this? A celebrity who doesn't think his fame automatically validates his political beliefs? Guess someone forgot to pass the memo to George Clooney...