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Other than back of the hand references by Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro without further explanation, I know of no substantive reason why Pompeo does not qualify for the office.

The man is spectacularly brilliant, first in his class from West Point, Congressman, Dir. of the CIA, Secretary of State. Seems to never have put a foot down wrong either in office or in public interview.

As far as I know, and I am ready to be educated to the contrary, he is a solid Trump conservative although not necessarily a butt boy for Trump.

As bright and capable as Pompeo is, he lacks the political touch of being able to connect with people, especially with strangers on the campaign trail. More broadly, obviously smart and clever people like Pompeo may be admired as public figures but are rarely loved because they lack endearing qualities and are tainted to a degree by being well-polished political insiders.

Trump has endearing qualities in his absurd comb-over, orange tint makeup, and near childish vanity and egotism. He is easy to read, and a large slice of the public sees him as genuinely dedicated to the country's best interests and trustworthy because he comes from outside the political system. That is why Trump's standing in the polls rose after his indictment.

If I understand the views of Bannon and Navarro correctly, on many issues Pompeo dragged his feet until he got direct orders from Trump. From that perspective, Pompeo as Secretary of State was an establishment type who was loyal to Trump but not a full believer in his program. In office as President, Pompeo would be an establishment type as President, not an ax wielding reformer like Trump.

“The man is spectacularly brilliant,”

That used to matter. Now, though, like it or not (I don’t), celebrity-ish people matter. It started with JFK v. Nixon on TV for all the world to see, and it’s important that a candidate be attractive in some way. Some pizzaz. It’s not fair; it’s nor right. But it is what it is.

And if you’re not a celebrity / attractive candidate, you just cheat like hell to “win”.