George H.W. Bush, who died Friday at age 94, was arguably our last president who ran on the strength of his experience — as a Navy pilot, congressman, Republican National Committee chairman, ambassador to China, CIA director and vice president. The presidents who followed mastered the art of campaigning and dominated the media (first old and then new), but we should not have been surprised that, once elected, they lacked to one degree or another the requisite skills, insight, judgment and, not insignificantly, the Rolodex to master the art of governing. If we want great presidents again, we might consider selecting them for the sort of experience and temperament Bush displayed throughout his adult life rather than for their ability to turn a particular phrase, micro-target voters and make competitors seem foolish or weak.
Jennifer Rubin: Yearning for the kinder, gentler America of George H.W. Bush
