June 07, 2005
This made me laugh...
Yale grades portray Kerry as a lackluster student
Thanks to Orrin, who thinks Kerry's releasing his grades because he's running in '08, and wants to appeal to the common man!
Of course the smart Kerry/dumb Bush contrast was always silly. Poor Kerry's never accomplished anything in his life. There was a lot of desperation and self-deception in the way urban-sophisticate types kept insisting that Bush was stupid (except when they were claiming he was too devious and Machiavellian for simple straightforward Democrats to handle). There's lots of evidence that Bush is a very smart cookie.
Posted by John Weidner at June 7, 2005 06:42 AMSure, Bush is smart, arguably he is well above average. But his real advantage is that he is wise while his adversaries pay little attention to qualities of character. His consistant ability to confound his contenders attests to this blind spot.
Posted by: Luciferous at June 7, 2005 08:41 AMGeorge Bush doesn't need everyone to think he's the smartest boy in the room. That characteristic alone differentiates him from Carter, Clinton, Gore, and Kerry.
For whatever reason, those guys have a deep need to feel smarter than their associates and adversaries. The least of them - Gore and Kerry - seem to express that need most urgently.
It's an undesirable quality in a leader. Nobody can know everything. A leader who is modest and even self-deprecating about his brainpower will surround himself with smart people, and smart people will be drawn to leaders who value their advice and counsel.
On this aspect of character, there does appear to be a Right-Left divide. It's easy to think of Republicans famous for it - Eisenhower, Reagan - and nearly impossible to think of a Democrat.
Posted by: lyle at June 8, 2005 09:40 AM
