The title of this piece is a term I once heard used to describe former President George "Dubya" Bush.
Our 43rd President was known to point out that "even a C student could be President". There is a fine line between "nice" and "stupid" which he seemed to straddle with great skill.
We probably all know people who are not deep thinkers, but I doubt that any had such power combined with such a lack of awareness (remember "Mission Accomplished"?). Dubya apparently did not read newspapers or books, nor did he read the briefing materials prepared for him by White House staff (at least not with any regularity). To me, it is not a huge surprise that we ended up in wars without clear objectives or end points. Combine this with advocating tax cuts when we are already operating at a deficit to fund the two wars, and it is easy to understand why things were such a mess when he left office.
Obviously, being President requires a unique skill and knowledge which not everyone has. Unfortunately, Dubya appears to have been one with neither of them. While Obama is clearly way more intelligent, he apparently lacks the skill set as well. While many people may want the job, not many appear to be good at it.
Considering his lack of interest in reading, it's more than a bit surprising that Dubya would have a Presidential Library. Most Presidential Libraries don't contain books, but rather papers, videos, audio recordings, and mementos. In his case, though, calling it a Library is a bit of an affront to the English language.
On a positive note, I have to say that I approve of how he has chosen to retire and stay out of politics. He does not attend events or make public comments about political issues, so at least he does not make things worse. For that, all should be grateful.
For those of you who think Dubya was a great President, I respect your right to your opinion, but we will have to agree to disagree. I think we, and history can remember him as both nice and intellectually celibate, and let it go at that.
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