re: #302 sagehen

Most of our presidents have come off just having been VP or Gov. There’s a few senators, and one guy made it straight from the House during a weirdly split year with four candidates (Lincoln).

Only three times in history did we pick a pres who’d never held elective office — Generals Washington, Grant and Eisenhower. Each of whom had just won a huge-ass, nation-defining war.

A failed computer exec is not in that league. Neither is a real estate developer or a neurosurgeon.

I would add that being a general, in the case of Ike, is an executive position. Ike had to deal with a lot of issues/interests.