Would have preferred if people had made an argument about one or two underappreciated individuals of merit in this thread, rather than just listing every single person who has ever ran for president.
OK, let me go into detail re one of the alter-
nate Presidents I've listed, Edward Kennedy:
He succeeded, in his time in the Senate, in
getting more bills passed than any other in-
dividual in the history of the U.S. Congress.
This reveals an ability to make & form coali-
tions(especially with people you normally
disagree with), to be able to persuade others
to follow you. This is an essential skill to have in a POTUS, since so much of what a
President does isn't ordering people around
but persuading people- be it a recalcitrant
Senator or the whole U.S. public- to follow,
to agree to a course of action you've laid out. Plus Kennedy's accomplishments showed an ability, I think, to read, judge
people so as to figure out who could best be
of help. Wouldn't that be a useful skill for a
POTUS to have? Finally, all of this wheeling-
&- dealing was for good aims- like achieving
universal health care. EK wasn't trying to
help line the pockets of some rich friends.