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Intellectuals as presidents are few—seven in all—and mostly far between: the two Adamses, Jefferson, and Madison early on; the first Roosevelt and Wilson early in the last century; and Obama most recently. The early cluster springs in part from social recruitment and education then prevailing. The later pair also came at a time of elevated public discourse. The latest seems to be a product of sheer chance. The intellectualism of the latter three was self‐conscious and mostly constructive to their presidencies. The prospects for future intellectuals as presidents are not bright.

In analyzing the 2000 US presidential election, of particular interest have been the elections of 1876 & 1888, in which the winner of the popular vote lost the electoral college, & that of 1968, which many have cited as bringing about a near-complete realignment of the American political landscape. This claim of political realignment in 1968 is, however, questionable, & it is instead more apparent that a true political realignment has not taken place at all in the 20th century. In fact, it can be argued that the elections of 1992 & 1996 resulted in perhaps the most distinct patterns of realignment since the 1800s, spurred in part by Perot's strong showing in 1992. The 2000 election accentuated the country's 8-year division along party, geographic, & ethnic lines, while the election's aftermath served only to strengthen this division. Though the existing political gulf between the two dominant parties must be overcome, the task will prove difficult. 4 Figures. K. A. Larsen