The Knoxville News Sentinel was all on board with UT-Knoxville’s plan to give Al Gore an honorary Doctor of Laws and Humane Letters in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (which is such a mouthful it sounds as if Gore invented it himself). Yesterday, the paper editorialized on what a good choice UT-Knoxville had made, if somewhat defensively:

Here’s a suggestion to those objecting to the University of Tennessee’s plan to confer an honorary doctorate on Al Gore Jr.:
Get over it.

It seems not everyone has gotten over it, though. Check out the News Sentinel poll asking readers whether Gore deserves the honor. As of the top of the hour, 96 percent of its 7,800 or so respondents say no.

Doubtless that will make no difference and Gore will receive the honor. Now the question is: Will he start calling himself Dr. Al Gore?