From today's David Brooks column I learned the following:
* Great presidents "tend to be emotionally secure" -- except for, say, Lincoln, who was clinically depressed.
* A great president is likely to have been raised "in an aristocratic family" -- although
* Great presidents tend to have "experienced crushing personal setbacks" -- except for, say, Reagan, whose worst setback was that a character he played in a movie had his legs amputated.
* Great presidents are usually "experienced political insiders" -- except for Ike, who'd never previously held elective office.
* "[G]reat presidents tend to have superb political judgment" -- which is another way of saying that people who are good at being politicians ... are good at being politicians. Thank you, Professor Tautology.
