But Sarandon means it

Eight years ago, the prospect of a George W. Bush administration so distressed some famous American liberals that they threatened to move to Canada. Members of that momentary Chicken Little brigade included Alec Baldwin, Barbra Streisand and Eddie Vedder -- none of whom, by all reports, ever budged.

Four years later, Robert Redford and a host of other angry Democrats insisted that a second Bush administration would force them over the world’s longest undefended border. Far as we know, Redford is still in Utah running that festival thingy he does each year.

So the other day when Susan Sarandon, a Barack Obama supporter, told a reporter for Britain’s Daily Telegraph that if Sen. John McCain wins the presidential election, she will consider moving to Canada or Italy, it didn’t seem possible that we’d lose the only actress in America who gives women hope they can look great in their 60s without mortgaging their homes to pay the plastic surgeon.

And anyway, Americans who think Canada is some sort of polite political paradise might want to do some investigating. In 2004, when a Calgary Sun columnist caught wind of a disgusted Democratic influx, he gave some pointed advice: “Stay home, you pathetic whining maggots.”

-- Robin Abcarian