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Simpson, eh? (Fox TV)

Aye Carumba!

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."