# Is Kerry an idiot, or not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 21, 2004, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228 "2004-09-21T01:50:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228/1 "2004-09-21T01:50:55Z")
I think \*\*Sam Stone \*\* asked a good question at the end of [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=276711) thread…that is, lets turn the perennial question asked ad nausium on this board…i.e. is Bush an idiot, moron, stupid, blah blah blah. Ok, so, the shoe is on the other foot…is Kerry an idiot? Can we prove out in this thread that he is smarter than the average bear? What arguements can be offered to show that Kerry is/is not stupid? If he’s not stupid, how smart is he? If he’s stupid, how stupid? I have zero intention of DEFINING stupid, moron, idiot, etc…no one in the various Bush threads ever did…it was just an excuse to huddle around and sing kumbya and bash Bush. Ok, here is the same chance for the Bush guys to get some back…and the Kerry guys to defend their guy. Have at it…this should be fun. 🙂 …Oh, you want MY take on the question? Well, I don’t think either guys is stupid actually, and in fact I’d say both are above average in raw intellegence. From a raw gut feeling comparison, I think Kerry comes off as APPEARING to be more intellegent, but I’m not sure which is smarter from the raw numbers…or even what those raw numbers translate into the vague impression that makes up ‘intellegence’. I’ve seen Bush rated at something like an IQ of around 128 (based on his SAT’s I guess), but I’ve never seen Kerry’s. Certainly Bush’s raw scores are quite a bit less than my own…but then, I’ll never be President, nor am I likely to ever be a mega-millionare…nor marry one. So I guess that means they are both ‘smarter’ than I am. -XT ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228/2 "2004-09-21T01:57:23Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > Certainly Bush’s raw scores are quite a bit less than my own… I suspect that is a typo. Let me weigh in on the OP: Kerry is not stupid\*. \*But he sure campaigns as if he were. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228/3 "2004-09-21T02:06:47Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > I suspect that is a typo. Ah, you wound me John. 🙂 Just because I can’t spell and can’t write, and my debating skills aren’t up to the standards of this board…well, never mind. -XT ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228/4 "2004-09-21T02:19:44Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > Ah, you wound me John. 🙂 Just because I can’t spell and can’t write, and my debating skills aren’t up to the standards of this board…well, never mind. Bush’s SAT scores are quite good. If yours are better, than you are indeed smart (whatever the hell that means). I’ve gotten all types of academic awards, but I don’t think my SATs were much better than Bush’s, although it was a long time ago, and I honestly don’t really remember. ---
**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228/5 "2004-09-21T02:38:52Z")
The only people who use IQ and SAT scores to prove intelligence are those who test well. Is Kerry stupid? As in, unintelligent? No. Are his policies stupid? Yeah. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228/6 "2004-09-21T02:48:00Z")
From the Wikipedia ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John\_Kerry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kerry)): > [@](#): > > **Boarding school (1957-1962)** > > While his father was stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, Norway, Kerry was sent to Massachusetts to attend boarding school. In 1957, he attended the Fessenden School in West Newton, a village in Newton, Massachusetts. There he met and became friends with Richard Pershing, grandson of the famed U.S. Gen. John Joseph Pershing. > > The following year, he enrolled at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire, and graduated from there in 1962. His father’s Foreign Service salary was not enough to pay the school’s tuition; Kerry’s childless great-aunt, Clara Winthrop, then very much advanced in age, voluntarily covered the costs. At St. Paul’s, Kerry felt like an outsider because he was a Catholic and liberal while most of his fellow students were Republican Episcopalians. > > Despite having difficulty fitting in, he made friends and developed his interests. He learned skills in public speaking and he became deeply interested in politics. In his free time, he enjoyed ice hockey and lacrosse, which he played on teams captained by classmate Robert S. Mueller III, the current director of the FBI. Kerry also played electric bass for the prep school’s band The Electras, which produced an album in 1961. Only 500 copies were made. In 2004, one of the copies was auctioned on eBay for $2,551. > > In 1959 Kerry founded the John Winant Society at St. Paul’s to debate the issues of the day; the Society still exists there. In November of 1960, Kerry gave his first political speech, in favor of John F. Kennedy’s election to the White House. > > \ > > **Yale University (1962-1966)** > > In 1962, Kerry entered Yale University. There he majored in political science and graduated with a B.A. in 1966. He also played on the soccer, hockey, lacrosse, and fencing teams; in addition, he took flying lessons. To earn extra money during the summers, he loaded trucks in a grocery warehouse and sold encyclopedias door to door. > > In his sophomore year Kerry became president of the Yale Political Union. His involvement with the Political Union gave him an opportunity to be involved with important issues of the day, such as the civil rights movement and Kennedy’s New Frontier program. Under the guidance of the speaking coach and history professor Rollin Osterweis, Kerry won dozens of debate contests against other college students from across the nation. In March 1965, as the Vietnam War escalated, he won the Ten Eyck prize as the best orator in the junior class for a speech that was critical of U.S. foreign policy. > > In the speech he said, “It is the specter of Western imperialism that causes more fear among Africans and Asians than communism, and thus it is self-defeating.” Because of his public speaking skills, he was chosen to give the class oration at graduation. The speech was hastily rewritten at the last moment, and was a broad criticism of American foreign policy, including the war. > > While attending Yale, John Kerry joined the Skull and Bones society in April 1965 at the invitation of his friend John Shattuck. Both of the Presidents Bush are also members of this invitation-only group. > > \ > > **Career in law and politics (1972-1985)** > > After Kerry’s 1972 defeat, he and his wife bought a house in Lowell. He spent some time working as a fundraiser for the Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE), an international humanitarian organization. He decided that the best way for him to continue in public life was to study law. In September of 1973, he entered Boston College Law School at Newton, Massachusetts. In July 1974, while attending law school, Kerry was named executive director of Mass Action, a Massachusetts advocacy association. > > He received his Juris Doctor degree in 1976. While in law school he had been a student prosecutor in the office of the District Attorney of Middlesex County, John J. Droney. After passing the bar exam and being admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1976, he went to work in that office as a full-time prosecutor. > > In January 1977, Droney promoted him to First Assistant District Attorney. In that position, Kerry balanced two key roles. First, he tried cases and won convictions in both a high-profile rape case and a murder. Second, he played a role in administering the office of the district attorney by initiating the creation of special white-collar and organized crime units, creating programs to address the problems of rape and other crime victims and of witnesses, and managing trial calendars to reflect case priorities. > > In 1979, Kerry resigned from the District Attorney’s office to set up a private law firm with another former prosecutor. He also joined with a friend to open a small cookie and muffin shop in Boston’s Quincy Market area. The partners named it “Kilvert & Forbes” after their mothers. Kerry sold his interest in the business in 1988. (The store still exists today as “Maggie’s Sweets.” The current owners, Carol Troxell and Sara Youngelson, supplied 1,000 gift bags of “John Kerry Chocolate Chip Cookies” – made with Kerry’s mother’s original recipe – to the 2004 media walkthrough at the Democratic Convention.) > > Although his private law practice was a success, Kerry was still interested in public office. He decided to re-enter electoral politics by running for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. He won a narrow victory in the 1982 Democratic primary. The ticket, with Michael Dukakis as the gubernatorial candidate, won the general election without difficulty. > > The position of Lieutenant Governor carried few inherent responsibilities. Dukakis, however, delegated additional matters to Kerry. In particular, Kerry’s interest in environmental protection led him to become heavily involved in the issue of acid rain. His work contributed to a National Governors Association resolution in 1984 that was a precursor to the 1990 amendments to the federal Clean Air Act. > > One of the U.S. Senators from Massachusetts, Paul Tsongas, announced in 1984 that he would be stepping down for health reasons. Kerry decided to run for the seat. As in his 1982 race for Lieutenant Governor, he did not receive the endorsement of the party regulars at the state Democratic convention. Again as in 1982, however, he prevailed in a close primary. In his campaign he promised to mix liberalism with tight budget controls. As the Democratic candidate he was elected to the Senate despite a nationwide landslide for the re-election of Republican president Ronald Reagan. In his acceptance speech, Kerry asserted that his win meant that the people of Massachusetts “emphatically reject the politics of selfishness and the notion that women must be treated as second-class citizens.” Kerry was sworn in as a U.S. Senator in January 1985. > > **Service in the U.S. Senate (1985-date)** > > **Meeting with Ortega** > > On April 18, 1985, a few months after taking his Senate seat, Kerry got his first taste of the Washington, DC spotlight as a politician as he and Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa traveled to Nicaragua and met the country’s president, Daniel Ortega. Though Ortega was democratically elected, the trip was criticized because Ortega and his leftist Sandinista government had strong ties to Cuba and the USSR. The Sandinista government was opposed by the right-wing CIA-backed rebels known as the Contras. While in Nicaragua, Kerry and Harkin talked to people on both sides of the conflict. Through the senators, Ortega offered a cease-fire agreement in exchange for the US dropping support of the Contras. The offer was denounced by the Reagan administration as a “propaganda initiative” designed to influence a House vote on a $14 million Contra aid package, but Kerry said “I am willing…to take the risk in the effort to put to test the good faith of the Sandinistas.” The House voted down the Contra aid, but Ortega flew to Moscow to accept a $200 million loan the next day, an act which in part prompted the House to pass a larger $27 million aid package six weeks later. > > **Iran-Contra hearings** > > In April 1986, Kerry and Sen. Christopher Dodd, a Democrat from Connecticut, proposed that hearings be conducted by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee regarding charges of Contra involvement in cocaine and marijuana trafficking. Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the Republican chairman of the committee, agreed to conduct the hearings. > > Meanwhile, Kerry’s staff began their own investigations, and on October 14 issued a report which exposed illegal activities on the part of Lt. Col. Oliver North, who they contended set up a private network involving the National Security Council and the CIA to deliver military equipment to right-wing Nicaraguan rebels (Contras). In effect, North and certain members of the President’s administration were accused by Kerry’s report of illegally funding and supplying armed militants without the authorization of Congress. > > These parties were said to be involved in shipping cocaine and marijuana to the United States, with the profits from the sales going to pay for the Contra weaponry. The investigation, Kerry’s report said, raised “serious questions about whether the United States has abided by the law in its handling of the contras over the past three years.” The Kerry report generated a firestorm of controversy and marked the beginning of years of investigations, hearings, and televised proceedings, which altogether, were referred to by some as the Iran-Contra affair. On May 4, 1989, North was convicted of charges relating to the Iran/Contra controversy, including three felonies. On September 16, 1991, however, North’s convictions were overturned on appeal because North’s testimony before Congress under immunity may have affected testimony in the trial. [9] ([http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/991224onthisday\_big.html](http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/991224onthisday_big.html))[10] ([http://www.snopes.com/rumors/north.htm](http://www.snopes.com/rumors/north.htm)) > > **Other investigations** > > Kerry’s inquiry eventually widened, expanding its focus from the Contras to U.S. involvement in Cuba, Haiti, the Bahamas, Panama, and Honduras. In 1989, he released a report that slammed the Reagan administration for neglecting and undermining anti-drug efforts while pursuing other objectives in foreign policy. The report contended that the U.S. government “turned a blind eye” in the 1980s to the corruption and drug dealings of CIA-backed Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, who had assisted the Contras. Kerry’s report concluded that the CIA and the State Department had known that “individuals who provided support for the contras were involved in drug trafficking…and elements of the contras themselves knowingly received financial and material assistance from drug traffickers.” While some critics attacked him as being a “conspiracy theorist,” the CIA inspector general released a pair of reports that confirmed Kerry’s findings ten years later. Nope. Not an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![aahala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@aahala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aahala)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228/7 "2004-09-21T02:52:19Z")
I think our view on whether Kerry is policitally stupid will depend on what happens when we vote. If he wins, we’ll think how clever to spend the first four months getting right up to the Bush Iraq policy, then six weeks of separation and along the way all the dust about Vietnam back and forth. If he loses, then simply replace clever with stupid in the above sentence. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228/8 "2004-09-21T02:56:50Z")
> [@JM](#): > > Bush’s SAT scores are quite good. If yours are better, than you are indeed smart (whatever the hell that means). Yes, my SATs were over 200 points better (1480 raw in '76)…and my IQ was higher too. My actual GRADES in college were probably no better than Bush’s though. However, I’ve never been President, never been a fighter pilot or even an officer (I was enlisted and only made PO before going to college), nor even elected to any office, and while I own my own company I’ll never, ever, reach the rarefied levels of either the Bush’s or the Kerry’s. As I’ve said before, I think test scores are a poor indication of raw intellegence. Some people just take tests well. However, the raw scores are all we really have for an empiric judgement of either man’s ‘intellegence’…or lack thereof. Anyone know what Kerry’s IQ or SAT’s were…or what his grades were in college? -XT ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228/9 "2004-09-21T03:14:43Z")
This tactic doesn’t really work, does it. We have ample evidence that Bush is a moron. We also know that he pickled his brain with chemicals for many, many years. Kerry has never given any indication of inferior intellect the way that Bush has. ---
**Author:** ![Julius\_Henry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8797f3/32.png) [@Julius\_Henry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Julius_Henry)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228/10 "2004-09-21T03:20:33Z")
I don’t think it’s proper to comment on Kerry’s intelligence until after he starts campaigning. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228/11 "2004-09-21T03:37:41Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > This tactic doesn’t really work, does it. We have ample evidence that Bush is a moron. We also know that he pickled his brain with chemicals for many, many years. > > Kerry has never given any indication of inferior intellect the way that Bush has. Wow. **DtC** descending to the level of Kitty Kelly. Does your hatred of Bush have no bounds? I’m no Bush fan, but posts like that almost make me hope he does win in November. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228/12 "2004-09-21T03:40:50Z")
> [@Julius Henry](#): > > I don’t think it’s proper to comment on Kerry’s intelligence until after he starts campaigning. Ouch! ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228/13 "2004-09-21T03:51:13Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > Bush’s SAT scores are quite good. If yours are better, than you are indeed smart (whatever the hell that means). My SATs _were_ a bit better, and I was still damn and mighty nervous applying for school. I’m not sure if a 1203 (or whatever it was he got) is all that special anymore, though I seem to recall reading the scores are inflating with time. Perhaps if one were to adjust for this trend, he’d place higher. At any rate, I certainly didn’t feel I was good enough to apply to Yale or Harvard; not on my SATs alone, anyway, and never bothered. Maybe I sold myself short, but my understanding is that Bush was never Yale material without the legacy. Anyhow, I can’t imagine there’s much of a question about Kerry’s intellect. All anecdotal evidence points to his having a first-rate mind, though he reportedly had an overcompesatory way of interacting with people as a student in prep. school, perhaps because of his pedigree (a Catholic among the WASPy brahmins). I would say that his recent voting record and campaigning is as paradoxical, vis-a-vis his brains, as are Bush’s few major successes purportedly in spite of his own mental deficiencies. Kerry, I think, is simply insecure. This has turned whatever message he might have had into a muddle. This uneasynesss probably got the better of him when he voted for the war in Iraq (as it did many other members of his party with future political aspirations…I’m looking at _you_, Hillary). As a campaigner, such uncertainty is worse than stupid, and it shows. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228/14 "2004-09-21T04:04:21Z")
Given that Bush is the most hated President since Nixon, the fact that Kerry isn’t running away with this election doesn’t bode well for _something_ about him. Intelligence? Decision-making skills? Inability to properly judge people and their performance? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228/15 "2004-09-21T04:22:54Z")
[QUOTE=JohnTInability to properly judge people and their performance?[/QUOTE] His, or ours? ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228/16 "2004-09-21T04:39:41Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Given that Bush is the most hated President since Nixon, the fact that Kerry isn’t running away with this election doesn’t bode well for _something_ about him. Intelligence? Decision-making skills? Inability to properly judge people and their performance? Decision-making skills, I’m guessing. Uncertainty will scramble the best of minds, and it saps the candidate of charisma. My guess: Some of the Pubs digs at Kerry are not inaccurate. He is something of a waffler. He appears to agonize over the explanation for his rather paradoxical stance on the War in Iraq, leaving even his staunchest allies at a loss to explain his behavior. Maybe he has it all sorted out, but he doesn’t seem to be able to articulate it. I rather guess he caved under political pressure on the Iraq vote, and lacks the comfort level needed to convincingly dissemble. This has robbed him of a clear stance on perhaps the most important issue facing his campaign. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228/17 "2004-09-21T04:46:48Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > I rather guess he caved under political pressure on the Iraq vote, and lacks the comfort level needed to convincingly dissemble. Doesn’t that mean he would make a president we could **trust,** for a change? ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228/18 "2004-09-21T04:55:39Z")
Maybe. Maybe not. I’d like to think Kerry, if elected, would feel he had enough of a mandate to be more confident. But if he’s always second-guessing the electorate and voting with the tides of public oppinion, he’s not a leader, IMO. Maybe he wouldn’t be a terrible leader, like Bush; but if he’s to get anything done with a Republican legislature looming over him from the Hill, he’s got to be able to stand up to them with his own convictions, and sink or swim by them. Lately, I haven’t seen much evidence he’s got the mettle to do so. At any rate, I don’t think smarts is the problem. It’s charisma. What robs him of charisma, as far as I can see, is that once he was conflicted, and now he can’t explain it in a politically palatable way. Why not? If Kerry could answer that question himself, he’d be in better shape. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228/19 "2004-09-21T04:59:50Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > . . . but if he’s to get anything done with a Republican legislature looming over him from the Hill . . . Or maybe not, eh? The next Congress has yet to be elected! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228/20 "2004-09-21T05:41:03Z")
Hang on here… WHAT empirical evidence tells us that Kerry had a ‘first rate mind’? He attended private schools like every other rich kid. We don’t know what grades he got. I don’t see any scholarships on the list. In college he studied political science. Where I come from, the Poli Sci students were considered to be the guys who weren’t smart enough for math, science, or engineering. Certainly you don’t have to be a genius to get a degree in Poly Sci, even from Yale. We don’t know what Kerry’s SAT scores were… which suggests to me that they weren’t outstanding, or he’d be using them to his advantage. We don’t know what his grades were like… which suggests to me that they weren’t that hot or he’d use them to his advantage. Again, if we compare his career to Bush’s, then on paper Bush looks pretty good. Kerry went into the Navy, Bush into fighter jets. Issues of war and combat aside, I can tell you for sure that Bush took the more intellectually and physically demanding choice. Kerry went to Boston college for a law degree, Bush went to Harvard for an MBA. The main thing that jumps out at me about Kerry is that he was a born politician. From an early age he took an interest in politics, and he’s been interested in it ever since. He moved into government at his first possible opportunity. This says absolutely nothing about his intelligence or lack thereof. For the record, I assume that Kerry is pretty sharp. You don’t get to be a candidate for President without being pretty sharp. But what amazes me is that some partisans can look at Bush’s academic and career record and conclude that he’s an idiot, and yet they can look at Kerry’s record and conclude he’s very smart. And yet, on paper Bush’s career and education look better than Kerry’s. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kerry-an-idiot-or-not/265228.md?page=2)