"They misunderestimated me." (washingtonpost.com)

How the Liberal Elite Keep Losing Big Elections to the 'Regular' Guys Like Bush and Reagan

Bruce Reed, loyal Democrat and a Rhodes scholar and thus a card-carrying member of the intellectual elite. When Reed says it is a "mistake" for Democrats to misunderestimate Bush, he has at least three reasons in mind.

The first: "Book smarts have not necessarily been a perfect indicator of presidential success." Another: "It's always a mistake to personalize the argument." A third: "It plays directly into Bush's strength, which is that he comes across as a regular guy."
According to Rogers, the qualities that make an effective president -- that is, a vote-getting, victory-winning president -- include: "not being intimidated by information," "finding the right people and asking the right questions," and "not being an anguisher -- before the decision, and especially afterwards."

It is this last quality, he said, that liberal intellectuals don't understand. Americans prefer "sunny, optimistic presidents," Rogers theorized, whereas "intellectuals are tormented people. "Think about it," he said. "Have you ever met a really happy French philosopher?"

Another good Washington Post article.