> I actually think that the universe of people who could do those jobs is actually pretty large I'd like to believe that, but it's not just a matter of inheren

> I actually think that the universe of people who could do those jobs is actually pretty large I'd like to believe that, but it's not just a matter of inherent capability, talent and intelligence. A very large part of the qualifications is experience with bureaucracies, politics, management, power-games, diplomacy. I'm talking 2 decades of experience, at least. Not the kind of stuff you can learn in school (mainly because school just doesn't last long enough), and definitely not the kind of stuff you can pick up on the job, no matter how talented and super bright somebody is. I kind of wish it wasn't sometimes (although other times I'm not so sure of the consequences..) but the fact of the matter is that medium-smart experienced politicians are going to out-politic a super-smart rookie every time.