IQ is a very tiny part of the overall measure of a man or woman; I believe I have read somewhere that Hitler had a very high IQ. The larger question is to what ends that intelligence is applied. You can be terribly quick at deception, profiteering, shell-games, PR and doubletalk. You can be awfully canny at acting the part of a dumb and honest regular guy when you really see yourself as a brilliant expert manipulator untroubled by bourgeois standards of honesty. You can be a raving psycho and still have a very high capability for manipulating symbols.

The question of relative merit shows up more in what one produces.

Just compare the four offspring (two of Kerry, two of Bush) if you want a quick gauge of their relative merits. Two thoughtful, articulate and analytical, two meretricious, cliche-ridden, giggly and self-serving.

Ya pays yer money and you takes yer cherce.


A