The smartest people don't always make the best presidents, David Broder writes in the Washington Post, but America's lucky it will soon have Barack Obama's brainpower at the top. We're faced with a financial crisis that stumps even the eggheads, Broder writes, admitting that he, personally, has "not a clue whether Bernanke, Paulson and Co. are on top of the situation or are inadvertently making things worse." Fortunately, he says, "Obama is not similarly handicapped."
Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan were no intellectuals, Broder argues, but traits like confidence and knack for choosing talent made them more effective leaders than policy wonks like Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. Obama, however, has so far demonstrated that his intellect is exactly what the current crisis calls for. "It is worth giving thanks for the performance the next president has turned in so far," Broder concludes, "and for the mind that is working on the nation's behalf." (More president stories.)