Should Presidents Be able To Spot Three Move Forced Checkmates?

[David Sklansky]

[ QUOTE ]
Uh, here in the states, we have 3 republican nominees who openly admit to not accepting evolution. Our current president thinks God gives him advice.

My point is, I don't care how quickly any of these guys can solve for mate. I'd rather have someone in office who couldn't pass a high school algebra test (but who knows how to delegate), than any of them.

[/ QUOTE ]

That is just way way wrong. Making the two reasonable assumptions that the person in question had a year of algebra and brushed up on it and that he hadn't taken courses in molecular biology and anthropology.

But it is even wrong without these assumptions. There are millions of smart people who doubt evolution. There are no smart people who fail algebra tests after attending classes in it. If you can't do elementary algebra you are bound to make errors that the ability to delegate can't overcome. Meanwhile I am quite sure that very few of our presidents would have had much problem with either algebra or simple chess problems. I can think of only one or two.