Do We Want A Beer Drinking Buddy or A Leader?

As we do every day, GT12 was spending the morning in the smoking lounge reading the NY Times. As we do several times a week we read Krugman. We still don't know if Al Gore can save the world or even the Democratic Party, but we have always agreed w/ the points Professor K makes today:

Since 2000, we've seen what happens when people who aren't interested in the facts, who believe what they want to believe, sit in the White House. Osama bin Laden is still at large, Iraq is a mess, New Orleans is a wreck. And, of course, we've done nothing about global warming.

But can the sort of person who would act on global warming get elected? Are we — by which I mean both the public and the press — ready for political leaders who don't pander, who are willing to talk about complicated issues and call for responsible policies? That's a test of national character. I wonder whether we'll pass.