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There aren’t many Ronald Reagans, unfortunately. I can’t think of **any** politican on **either** side that would compare well in that litmus test you have set up for Ms. Palin.

The thing is, you set her up for comparison to Reagan by suggesting that she could be "one of the best foreign policy leaders and CinCs we have ever had."

Which naturally leads one to ask what qualifications had Reagan demonstrated by the time he ran for President.... he'd done far, far more than Palin has done so far.

Did you think W Bush was a satisfactory president, especially in foreign policy? Did he have the experience he needed as a weak governor of the state of Texas?

I do think he was more than satisfactory. But you need to be careful when you try to denigrate his time as a "weak" governor of Texas.

He was very effective as governor, and part of that effectiveness involved working with and through a notoriously fractious legislature -- invaluable political experience that Ms. Palin currently does not have. As testament to his effectiveness, he was actually the first governor in Texas history to be elected to a second consecutive 4-year term (in a 69% landslide), though he left the second term early to run for president.

His broader background was also helpful: he ran several oil companies, the Texas Rangers, and also his father's 1988 presidential campaign.