Cusack for President?

August 1, 2001 -- After a decidedly ho-hum 2000 presidential election, voters are getting excited about one potential candidate: actor John Cusack.

Some folks feel that the America's Sweethearts star is a sure thing to be president, and they've started a campaign on his behalf. An Internet-based movement to get the star of High Fidelity and Say Anything elected to the White House has gathered momentum — despite Cusack's complete lack of involvement.

"The idea may seem silly at first, but on the other hand, there are not many other compelling candidates out there. John Cusack, from what we can tell, is a good person, has strong progressive values, and could make a good candidate," Dan Carol, a former Democratic Party political consultant whose group is behind the partly tongue-in-cheek campaign, tells Reuters.

"It is a funny idea, but we think humor in politics is a good thing anyhow," Carol said Tuesday.

Carol said some 200 people had volunteered to help organize a potential Cusack for President Campaign in their cities since the idea was launched on the Web site (www.junction-city.com) three months ago.

Well, he does meet the constitutional requirements, at least: He's an American citizen and he's 35, the minimum age to run for the presidency.

So what does Cusack say? His publicist says the actor "is on vacation and is not reachable."

Well, if John isn't interested, what about his sister, Joan? The star of ABC's What About Joan? is apparently just as, er, qualified as her brother is to lead us as a nation. "We like [her] a bunch," says a note on the site.

Reuters contributed to this story.