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[quote sdorn]In contrast, take high school graduate Harry Truman — railroad worker, clerk, bookkeeper, farmer, road inspector and small-town postmaster — or Ronald Reagan, sports announcer and B-list actor with mediocre college credentials.

Despite their intellectual limitations, both achieved substantial political success as president. And, to press home the point, there is Franklin D. Roosevelt, a top-tier president in rankings of historical greatness, whom the late Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes branded "a second-rate intellect but a first-class temperament."

Huarte's notion of intelligence comprises a mix of mental acumen and emotional discernment that provides a sound foundation for modern-day presidential success.

To put it bluntly, the president need not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he does need a full deck of cards. He must be comfortable in his own skin, free of emotional demons, and surround himself with competent people. With apologies to Saturday Night Live's Stuart Smalley, the successful president need not be a towering giant, he just needs to be good enough, smart enough — and, doggone-it, people must like him[/quote]

With the comment on Harriet Truman and Reagan - limited Academic success is not a direct indication on intelligence, if you want to go into IQ capacity. And no one ever said Reagan was a good president. FDR was the president in a very different time then ours. Whether he was a great intellect is debatable, and if you're trying to compare Bush to FDR then you're way too optimistic.

Bush lacks the proper "mix of mental acumen and emotional discernment". Look at his track record prior to presidency. He's definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed, and evidently a few jacks short of a full deck. He is obviously not comfortable in his own skin, and has not surround himself with sufficient competent people. Whether he has emotional demons are yet to be seen. No, a successful president need not to be a towering giant, but yet, Bush is not even smart enough, or good enough to be a competent president. And doggone-it, people hate him!