Presidents are well known figures in a society. With fame, comes heavy criticism. Some presidents have faltered under the unwavering pressure of a judgmental society. However, only a few great presidents have found success, despite adversity. All presidents who have prevailed possessed strong leadership qualities that include confidence, decisiveness, and intelligence. Confidence is one of the most important attributes a great president must have. Of course, not every one will agree with the decisions of the president. In fact, there are going to be people who attack the president as we have seen through history, both verbally and physically. However, it is critical that the president remain calm and confident in himself and his ideas. He …show more content…
This is best seen through the heavy criticism that Clinton received. Many people capitalized on his difficult childhood, bringing up his alcoholic father and the violence associated with it. However, despite the backlash, Clinton still pursued his mission of racial equity (Schlesinger). In addition, the scandal involving Monica Lewinsky further deepened people’s hatred towards Clinton. Even after his presidency, many people still speculated about it. Despite all the drama, Clinton remained strong. He is said to have “penetrating intelligence” and “intellectual curiosity” (Schlesinger). Clinton would not have been successful if he were to let the words of others get to him. There was a lot of controversy, but he managed to overcome it all. Likewise, another example of true confidence is Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fireside chats during the Great Depression (Rove). During that time, the whole country was in turmoil. Thousands of people were left homeless, the stock market crashed, and banks failed miserably. Citizens of that time were deflated of their confidence and inflated with feelings of …show more content…
However, it takes a great leader to be intelligent and apply the knowledge to real life situations. An outstanding president must be able to weigh his decisions and use his intelligence to predict the future consequences of his actions. The president must think quickly and act accordingly. With that, he must also choose an intelligent group of people to work with him. George Washington worked alongside insightful men such as Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton (Rove). Additionally, the president must have emotional intelligence in which he thinks rationally, and not on temporary emotions when making decisions. He must be attentive and understand that the actions of this country will affect other international countries as