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The salient point is that Carter was a terrible President. You can have all the degrees in the world, but that doesn't make you fit to be president.

I disagree with you about Carter but I agree with your larger point that intelligence has nothing to do with leadership.

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And anybody who thinks that Cheney is stupid is kidding themselves. Go back and look at interviews with him, or debates, things that are Live, where he's not reading from a teleprompter As far as his flunking out,I don't have his bio in front of me, but that may have been a period in his life, when he was quite the partier. I can't say for sure though No one can deny his intelligence.

I guess you're easily impressed, because his interview and debate performances reinforce my opinion that he's an idiot. I think you're making the mistake of confusing his glibness and avuncular manner with intelligence. Some of the most articulate people in the world are below average in intelligence and some of the most intelligent people in the world are very inarticulate. Unfortunately, our political system puts a premium on people who look and sound the part. IMO, the most valuable characteristics of a President are 1) judgement, 2) leadership and 3) intelligence, in that order. I put charisma far down the list despite the fact that you can't win the White House without it.

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And really, this awe struck admiration of the Ivy League is quite troubling.

I'm not overly impressed with the Ivy League but the fact of the matter is that it's became a nearly de facto prerequisite for reaching the upper echelons of government on both sides of the aisle. Ted Cruz and Wendy Davis are polar opposites froma political standpoint, but the one thing they have in common is Harvard Law School. Why do you think Presidents from both parties go to the Ivy Leagues to pick nominees for the SCOTUS?