What makes a good President?

Kenneth Walsh moderated a roundtable in November with four ex White House Chiefs of Staff at the Smithsonian. What makes a good Preisdent?


Josh Bolten, is the second Chief of Staff under President Bush, said Bush's greatest asset is to have confidence in a core set of values, and that even though people such as the Treasury Secretary, and the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, have no idea of how the financial breakdown occurred, it is Bush's character that will provide the leadership to see us through this crisis.


Leon Panetta served nine terms in the US House of Representatives and Chief of Staff for Clinton 1994-96 .He remembers the Mexican peso going to hell, and there was a danger of seeing the Mexican economy collapse. They invited Bob Dole and Newt Gingrich to help , but they could not get the votes.


Kenneth Dubersten got on to the folky wisdom of Ronald Regan. Are they comforatable within themselves? do they have a gut instict or judgement. Ron liked to be underestimated, ( as if he had a choice)....sorry, but if we believe there is a liberal media at work, well there it is.


How do they deal with crisis?


Thomas Mack McLarty, said a Presindent needs to reach out to whomever you need to define the problem, then when to act, what to do, and what not to do. Then how to communicate it. Then there is an aspect of getting all of this across to other leaders.