Absolutely. Politics is all over the Oscars. Strasberg was old, GFII was his first co-starring role in a major movie, and he had mentored countless big stars, including Pacino and Brando. Time to give him the Oscar.

That said, Strasberg actually turned in a worthy performance in II. Consider that the Academy rewarded Liz Taylor for recovering from a near-death experience by giving her the Oscar for "Butterfield 8," one of her least-distinguished roles; and Sidney Poitier at the height of the civil rights movement for "Lillies of the Field," when he'd done far better work in other films.