John Kerry: Grades don't tell the whole story (right...)

I know this may fall into "Come on, Sam, let it go" territory, but I just can't resist.

One of the presidential campaign themes that the Left and MSM canonized as if gospel was the belief that Kerry is more intelligent than Bush and a far superior "thinker" (recall the "Bush is an idiot while Kerry is a progressive intellectual" commentary). Anyway, this Boston Globe article seems to bring some of these assumptions into question.

The transcript shows that Kerry's freshman-year average was 71. He scored a 61 in geology, a 63 and 68 in two history classes, and a 69 in political science. His top score was a 79, in another political science course. Another of his strongest efforts, a 77, came in French class.

Ann Althouse has a good post on Kerry's mediocre academic records which seem to confirm what she had thought all along - Kerry's not that smart. Here's her blogospheric "I told you so."

James B. at The Chief Brief has what may be the best observation. Note Kerry's 77 in French (I won't provide the usual litany of French commentary - you can figure out what I make of Kerry being so closely connected to France).

Let's not forget, he studied at a boarding school in Switzerland, and took summer vacations in France, where his family owned an estate, and this was the best he could manage?

Being "intelligent" in an academic performance sort of way doesn't make one a great leader or decision-maker. We're all familiar with the "absent-minded" professor caricature and I'm sure we all know some pretty "smart" folks whom we wouldn't trust for important counsel - there's something to the classic "book-smart" vs. "common sense" dichotomy (or knoweldge vs. wisdom).

Even if we set aside the philosophical debate this picture says it all for me. Is this a future president of the U.S.? I'm so glad we didn't elect this guy.

(Hat-tip: Instapundit)