Shortly before the Iowa caucus, I'd personally decided that John Kerry was arguably the most plausible Democratic presidential candidate in most respects, and that I felt pretty good about supporting him. But really, can I vote for a guy whose favorite movie from last year was Old School?

Seabiscuit, the undersized racehorse whose Depression-era victories lifted the nation's spirits, caught the imagination of those running in another sort of horse race.

An AP survey of the Democratic presidential hopefuls' favorite movies of the past year found "Seabiscuit" getting top honors from both Rep. Dennis Kucinich and ex-candidate Rep. Dick Gephardt, who quit the race this week.

Clark opted for fantasy, singling out the epic good-vs.-evil trilogy "The Lord of the Rings." Sen. John Kerry went with "Old School," a comedy about three disenchanted men trying to recapture their college days.

Al Sharpton liked "Antwone Fisher," a drama based on the true story of a troubled sailor who finds new hope after psychiatric treatment helps uncover a painful past. Sen. Joe Lieberman also went for a drama, "Mystic River," a brooding story of murder and revenge.

Two other candidates will have to wait to cast their votes. Howard Dean and Sen. John Edwards say they've been so busy campaigning they haven't seen a movie in the past year.

I feel bad for those last two guys, especially Dean, who really should see The Return of the King if he wants to understand what Jon Stewart meant when he said, "With this guy, you never know if you're going to get 'Smeagol Dean' or 'Gollum Dean.'"