Not So Smart After All

He's played the President of the United States - and sometimes has acted as though he thought he was the President - but Martin Sheen is not as highly educated as you might have thought. Fair play to him, and he's off to right that intellectual wrong.

Yes, your man in the West Wing is off to university at last. Apparently, he never finished high school, but after so many years of real life experience, the administration at NIU Galway has taken it into consideration and admitted him. Mr. Sheen is pursuing an arts degree in English Literature, Philosophy and Oceanography. Quite the interesting mix of topics, I'd say.

All of Galway is a-flutter, waiting on the arrival of the Hollywood actor. Even though classes start in September, it is uncertain when Mr. Sheen will turn up - maybe September, maybe October. I don't recall university classes being subject to a fashionably late starting time. Perhaps for Mr. Sheen, a very busy man, there are accommodations and exceptions made. With his money, he can surely afford to hire a tutor to catch him up with the rest of the students should he miss a couple of weeks of lectures.

It is rumored that the actor wanted to finish his education after he retired from acting, which is an excellent way to keep the old brain sharp after leaving the work force. Happens all the time, all over the world, when retirees pick up a class or two to exercise their grey matter. Perhaps the honorary degree that was conferred on Mr. Sheen last year acted as a bit of a nudge, tempting him to leave behind the glitz and glamor of Hollywood for the cold, windswept crags of County Galway.

Now he'll be a college student, living in the dorms, hanging out with the lads and downing a pint or two at the local after a long day of study and other intellectual pursuits. With a class in English Literature under his belt, Martin will be all set to pen a few novels, and every literary agent in New York and L.A. will be standing in line, praying that he queries them. No client list is ever too full to pick up one more writer with an arts degree and more than enough ready-made recognition. With that kind of a platform, who needs writing skills?