Alec Baldwin: Forgiven?

Devoted anti-Bush celebrity Alec Baldwin became infamous for his claim that he'd leave the country if George Bush got elected, earning him the enmity of the right.

Yesterday, the news broke that he was personally bankrolling a soldier's college education.

Baldwin was so moved by a March 4 New York Times story about Pvt. Resha Kane's last day with family and friends before going for training to prepare for serving in Iraq that he — not his people — tracked down Kane's mother at a discount store where she works to offer his assistance, his spokesman said.

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Hiltzik said the actor would meet the Kane family in Mohave Valley and give them a check, which will be in addition to the $37,000 the Army will give Kane for college. A date for the meeting will be decided next week, he said.

Although Baldwin, 48, has been a vocal critic against the war in Iraq, Hiltzik said supporting the troops who are fighting there is important to the actor.

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Kane, a chemical operations specialist in the Army, said she wants to be a biochemist but is not sure what university she wants to attend once she leaves the military in three years.

I see one of three possibilities here:

1. Simple PR stunt
2. Baldwin believes John Kerry and Charlie Rangel when they say our soldiers are only in the Army because they're dumb
3. A sincere, heartfelt gesture from someone who genuinely supports the troops