Full Metal Jeer

Camp Pendleton spokeswoman, Captain Alison Salerno, even admitted to reporters back on January 27 that the Marines saw "the recruiting value in Gracin's appearances before a national audience as well as appreciated his talent and recognized the benefits of allowing him to continue competing." In other words, Gracin had become a military marionette. (Albeit a plump one. After Brit bully Simon Cowell pointed to the young man's protruding stomach, Gracin dropped to the ground and gave him straight-armed pushups.)

We can learn everything about him from Fox's God Bless America-style interviews: Raised in Westland, Michigan, and now living in Oceanside, California, Gracin first sang at an eighth-grade talent show, then graduated to choirs and fairs. The Garth Brooks wannabe traveled to Los Angeles for the Idolauditions, where he was plucked from among 50,000 in Los Angeles. He spoke to his command and to lawyers on the base for permission, then milked his military service for all it was worth. A Marine journalist wrote, "According to Gracin, it was suggested just prior to his time in front of the judges that he report in a military fashion to make his audition unique." So he marched, saluted and sang. According to Stars and Stripes, he has been in the service only two and a half years, but that still afforded him the privilege to be "on permissive temporarily assigned duty and using his accumulated 45 days of leave to be away from his job."

But 45 days was up last week, so why is he still here? The military newspaper noted that if Gracin does receive deployment orders before he is eliminated from the show, Fox producers promised to return him to next year's competition at the same ranking.

All this special treatment, not to mention sympathy. Asked "Who is your American idol?" Gracin replied his wife, high school sweetheart Ann Marie, who takes care of their 11-month- old daughter, Briana. "She's dealt with a lot, with me being gone." Gee, you'd think Gracin was on a battlefield.

Maybe soon Gracin will shut up, suck it up and ship out on his own. Or maybe the public will realize it has been fooled. After all, on the nightly news, Americans are seeing the real Marines performing their real jobs. That says it all.