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doublejm1
Janissary
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Topic: Who is the smartest U.S. President of all Time? Ob Posted: 12-Jul-2014 at 16:11 |
My friends and I (all history/politics geeks) were debating
who the smartest president of all time was -- or is. Note that when we say
"smartest," we mean book smart.
I did an internet search to see if we could find any good "Top 10
lists." I came up empty, except for a couple of articles like this one:
Who is The Smartest US. President of All Time? Is It Obama?
The article narrows it down to Obama, Wilson, and Jefferson.
But Arthur, Garfield, Cleveland and Lyndon Johnson were themselves teachers.
What's your take on this? Would Jefferson win the accolade for biggest book
nerd? Would he win the superlative for "most intelligent"? I haven't
done enough research on the more obscure presidents to come to a definitive
answer.
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Mountain Man
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Posted: 13-Jul-2014 at 08:51 |
Jefferson.
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Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
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red clay
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Posted: 13-Jul-2014 at 10:04 |
Willie Jeff Clinton is a Rhoads Scholar. Beyond that, I don't know.
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"Arguing with someone who hates you or your ideas, is like playing chess with a pigeon. No matter what move you make, your opponent will walk all over the board and scramble the pieces".
Unknown.
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Centrix Vigilis
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Posted: 13-Jul-2014 at 16:40 |
Not smart enough to keep his oral-sex activities from hitting the newsstand resulting in impeachment. Rhodes or no Rhodes.
There are numerous candidates. Depends on what one means by smartest. Is that then only inclusive of formal education. Or that, and life experience, with measurable success during it, combined.
I choose the latter.
Hence we can nominate
1. Washington
2, J Adams
3. T Jefferson
4. A Jackson
5. A Lincoln
6. T Roosevelt
7. D Eisenhower
personally I like TR.
Edited by Centrix Vigilis - 13-Jul-2014 at 16:42
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"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"
S. T. Friedman
Pilger's law: 'If it's been officially denied, then it's probably true'
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red clay
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Posted: 14-Jul-2014 at 01:17 |
Impeachment failed, and I might point out that several on your list had problems keeping it in their pants. It's a time honored presidential tradition.
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"Arguing with someone who hates you or your ideas, is like playing chess with a pigeon. No matter what move you make, your opponent will walk all over the board and scramble the pieces".
Unknown.
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Centrix Vigilis
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Posted: 14-Jul-2014 at 02:04 |
Originally posted by red clay
Impeachment failed, and I might point out that several on your list had problems keeping it in their pants. It's a time honored presidential tradition. |
nope. impeachment in the house was successful. conviction by the senate was not.
but ya right about that last part. i'll give ya that one.
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"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"
S. T. Friedman
Pilger's law: 'If it's been officially denied, then it's probably true'
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Mountain Man
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Posted: 17-Jul-2014 at 12:59 |
Originally posted by red clay
Impeachment failed, and I might point out that several on your list had problems keeping it in their pants. It's a time honored presidential tradition. |
Perhaps, but isn't the subject about intelligence rather than morality?
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Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
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medenaywe
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Posted: 17-Jul-2014 at 13:15 |
Next model of Iphone if it could be elected! (Obama has best education&skills till today but it has no luck...).If it was in Regan period USA will be better than now...but..
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Centrix Vigilis
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Posted: 17-Jul-2014 at 13:55 |
I'd buy the iphone over the current joke in the WH. Sry Meden comparably and even contextually, he is neither the best educated nor did he possess the necessary preparatory skills for the position..imo.
Again, it gets back to definition. Using a standard I was aware of for 2 decades plus..'best educated' is inclusive of formal education, training, and experience. He fails in 2 of 3.
It also included the ability of being informed and an ability to formulate objective analysis during the decision making process. And rendering the necessary judgement or taking the necessary actions to ensure the accomplishment of whatever mission or objective was desired.
This also might include characteristics that involved morality questions. But it certainly did not stand alone on formal education as a sole qualifier.
Hence the entire question is deceptive at best specious at worst. As historians, especially formally trained and experienced, do not address education as the sole primary qualifier of whether a President was successful. And while that was not the original question. It should have been.
All else is for amateurs and parlor games.
Edited by Centrix Vigilis - 17-Jul-2014 at 13:57
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"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"
S. T. Friedman
Pilger's law: 'If it's been officially denied, then it's probably true'
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red clay
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Posted: 17-Jul-2014 at 17:08 |
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"Arguing with someone who hates you or your ideas, is like playing chess with a pigeon. No matter what move you make, your opponent will walk all over the board and scramble the pieces".
Unknown.
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Mountain Man
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Posted: 18-Jul-2014 at 18:05 |
Never.
Back to the subject, Clinton Powell may be the "smartest president", since he was intelligent enough to refuse the position...on the same theory as the highest reward for combat being the Medal of Honor - Declined.
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Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
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LeopoldPhilippe
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Posted: 24-Jun-2015 at 20:27 |
President John Adams. At age 16, John earned a scholarship to attend Harvard University. After graduating in 1755, at age 20, he studied law in the office of Attorney John Putnam.
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J.A.W.
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Posted: 24-Jun-2015 at 22:56 |
Ol' "Slick Willie" is a clever one..
& wasn't he held up to account - for lying, rather than dippin' his wick?
It wasn't rape, & adultery aint a firin' offence for the Chief, AFAIK..
Harry S.T. - also had a good brain, but Ronnie R, like Gerry F, lost most of his higher cerebral function to acquired brain injury, AFAIR..
Edited by J.A.W. - 24-Jun-2015 at 22:57
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Be Modest In Thyself..
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