Good President, or Good President's men?
 

I've been thinking about this for a while, and with Bush's crew of aides, I figured I'd give this all out to you and see what happens:

Does the quality of a President's aides say anything about him as a President? On one hand, you could say he's a solid leader for surrounding himself with smart people; on the other, you can say that it's all about what he does.

This isn't me bashing or praising Bush in any way, it's just a general question on the presidency as a whole.

All presidents, regardless of their political affiliation, should surround themselves with smart people. Even though the President is the commander in chief, this isn't a dictatorship, and any president should have a staff of aides to help him make difficult political decisions.

I think that the most intelligent person in Bush's cabinet is Condoleeza Rice (or as I call her, "Sister Condie"). I don't agree with her foreign policy positions, but she is one of the most intelligent people to have "served at the pleasure of the President" in recent memory.

I know she's not a good President's "man" - but you get the idea. ;)

The President has surrounded himself with exceptional individuals. I would place Rice, Cheney, and Powel at the top of the list, followed by (not in order) with Elaine Chao, Ann Veneman, Gale Norton, Spencer Abraham, and Andrew Card.

I would vote Republican if Powell ran against Bush. Never will happen but I would!