Kerry Narrowly Defeated By Bush: In Yale Classroom

My oh my. The Boston Globe finally got their hands on John Kerry's academic records from Yale, and they're every bit as joke-worthy as those of his famously un-bookfriendly former classmate and campaign opponent.

For all the punch lines about Bush's college grades, Kerry's were actually worse. His cumulative score over four years at Yale was a 76 (Bush had a 77). He got four D's his freshman year, and never once earned an A. To his credit, Kerry had a trajectory of improvement, performed better in his politically oriented courses, and impressed enough with his speaking abilities to be chosen as orator for his senior class. But no matter how you slice it he still was pretty darn lousy in the college classroom, especially considering his top-flight preparatory schooling.

Ironically, despite the relentless caricatures contrasting Bush the courageous simpleton leader with Kerry the blathering out-of-touch smarty pants, simple life history reveals that Kerry isn't all that smart (other numbers suggest Bush also has a slightly higher IQ), but has natural leadership qualities and serious cajones in battle.

Who woulda thought? The John Kerry we never knew...