David Broder of the Washington Post has been covering the White House for more than fifty years. Over that time he's come to believe that high intelligence is overrated as a desirable attribute of presidents (can somebody please keep this column away from Bill, by the way?). But Broder - a hard-to-impress guy who until recently was something of an Obama-sceptic - is mightily glad that the man in charge of sorting out this unbelievably complicated economic mess has a big brain:
So for several years, I have been arguing that there are traits much more important to the success of a president than brainpower. Self-confidence, curiosity, an eye for talent, the ability to communicate, a temperament that invites collaboration -- all these and more rank higher on the list of desirable presidential traits.
I am not ready to abandon that view. But I am struck by how lucky this country is, at the moment, that the president-elect is a super-smart person like Barack Obama.
The whole thing is worth reading.
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