I have nothing against Carter, from what I remember he was and is a very sincere moral man. His one weakness was probably his workaholic nature and he didn't seem to be a great leader. Unlike Reagan who didn't work much but had the aura of leadership. I think some of these guys seemed to fit their times better than others and it is reflected in our judgement of them. In particular JFK and Reagan. I also think Clinton was very smart and much better than most of us give him credit for. He was a real enigma with some rather juvenile sexual misjudgements for such a smart guy.
I don't think Bush is all that bad. He has that Clinton type of "good ol boy" way about him but is much more straight forward and simpler. I don't think he is all that smart but neither was Reagan.
As far as mental health is concerned I think you are over analyzing these guys. I don't think they could have the ability to position themselves to be elected without having a sound mind. I do think that the modern presidential elections have become more of a popularity contest than one based on the issues. That is probably why Bush won. People liked him better than Kerry and trusted him more based on what they saw during the campaign soundbites.
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