Elite? You mean really, really smart?

Bush's brain is so small, so constricted, that while grappling with the complexities of "My Pet Goat," he was unable to adjust and comprehend the additional information that terrorists were attacking his country. The news of the attacks, whispered into his ear by an aide unaware that the mind to which he was speaking was already occupied with another task, was merely background noise, discombobulating buzzing, until Cheney and Rumsfeld could get him to a quiet place and explain what was going on: We were preparing to attack Iraq.

Barack Obama, on the other hand, has sufficient intellect to not only grasp multiple ideas at one time, but to grasp the interplay and interdependencies of the various concepts and all the underlying facts. Where George Bush could barely see the picture book, Obama not only sees the big picture but has the ability to share that understanding with others. So when he speaks about national security, it's only partially about the troops and diplomacy. It's also, as it must be, about oil, energy policy, education, jobs, taxes -- the vast multiplicity of facts and factors that most politicians try to keep separate in order to use as political tools whenever necessary.

Not to mention that most politicians have limited ability to grasp any complex worldview, preferring to rely on ideology and pre-formed ideas that underscore what they want to believe.

Under Obama, therefore, the War on Terror (a term I trust will be retired as inaccurate and damaging) is affected by seemingly unrelated programs like, say, Head Start. No government program operates in a vacuum. Not only do we waste vast amounts of our resources on war, affecting our ability to educate our children, that education -- or lack thereof -- has an effect on what citizens value as they grow, their willingness and ability to accept challenges, and so forth.

I am hopeful that more Americans understand that a "regular guy" president is not such a good thing. We need really smart people leading our government at all levels, not the people we're comfortable having a beer with. The easy-going guy on the next barstool may be fun to hang out with all evening, but do you want him in charge of the military, economy and future?

Yes Barack Obama is an elite, if by that you mean one of the smarter people you're likely to meet. I'm not sure why that would irritate anyone, unless that many Americans are insulted that they probably don't have what it takes to be president. I know I don't but I do think I have what it takes to recognize a good leader. And being smarter than most of us is right at the top of my list.