I know I just wrote about Bush’s budget, but I came across another article that I wanted to share. President Bush may not be the smartest of men, as many vocal intellectuals have pointed out, but no one can know everything. It takes a smarter person to realize that and to surround themselves with capable people, and that’s what Bush does best according to this article about what he was like in college.
He didn’t know just the names–classmates marvel about how he could sum up each person’s essence with great insight and humor.
Interesting. I’m noticed a lot of people deride Bush for not being smart, but that’s all relative. I’m pretty sure he’s smarter than a lot of those name-callers. Is he a genius? I’d doubt it, but I think he gets along just fine.
That’s an interesting article. I can’t tell if he actually approves of Bush’s decisions or not, but I agree with him that the intellectuals that bash him relentlessly for being stupid are out of line. He’s not stupid, he’s just not a great extemporaneous speaker.
Out of curiosity, I looked up his SAT scores and college grades. Apparently he was able to get into Yale with a lower SAT score than I had. Must be nice to have powerful parents!
I remember seeing an interview with he and his wife (60 Minutes?) and thinking “he’s the kind of guy you would invite over for a barbeque”. He just struck me as being very down to earth. The story about the pledges seems to jive with that perception, too. One of those guys who asks you “how are you doing?” and really wants to know. :)
It seemed odd to me because usually presidents are portrayed as being larger-than-life. While I may not agree with every decision he makes, it’s nice to have a president that I can identify with. I could never imagine the Clintons or the Reagans as being the people next door, but I could imagine the Bushes that way, and I think that’s a good thing (well, from my perspective).
Being a leader is about getting people to follow you. Being book-smart is not the only way (or even the best way!) of doing that.
I find Bush to be sincere as well. Regarding McKay’s comment about presidents usually being larger than life, I’ve had that thought too. The job doesn’t pay as much one of these guys could make as a CEO or CFO somewhere. So the big draw is the power and prestige. Sometimes that draws megalomaniacs.
If being a leader is about getting people to follow you, than Bush is a horrible leader. 3 years after being elected, 48% of the country still despises him, and votes against him rather than for a Democrat. Similar to how people voted against Gore in 2000 because of the Clinton scandals.