Is it possible to ever have a competent president?

Right now reading the press about the run for the 2008 Presidency, all we're talking about is the money. Who's the best fund-raiser? That's how Clinton won the presidency. That's how Bush won. It looks like that's how the next President will win.

I don't know who's going to get the nomination from either party. But the best bet is that it's going to be the best fund-raiser, not the best qualified to serve.

You have to be a good fund-raiser to get a nomination. You have to be a good campaigner to get elected. Whether you actually have the qualifications to do the job once elected is just ignored. The best fund-raiser is the one who's best at making individual money people feel special when you're one on one with them. The best campaigner is the one who can talk to groups in a language that makes them feel like you care about their problems. That's it. Then we're done.