Political quickies

1. Here's an interesting look at the "greatness" of our past Presidents vs. their level of experience. In short, there is no signficant correlation between experience and greatness, the canonical example being Abraham Lincoln vs. James Buchanan.

MORE: One commenter summarizes thusly:

I would argue that Presidents succeed or fail based on external circumstances and strength of character. Experience as a predictor of success is helpful primarily as a guide to character.

2. I've been on the "Brian Schweitzer for VP" bandwagon for quite some time now. Blogger FiveThirtyEight.com makes a pretty strong case for Schweitzer.

ALSO: More VP analysis here and here.