Shyness is a mental disorder? Duke psychiatrists: proving once again why psychiatry is a useless field of study.
My roommate has social phobia. It's more than just shyness - you almost have to put a gun to his head to get him to get him to leave the house. It's kind of like agoraphobia (sp?) but he's not afraid of open spaces, he's afraid of people.
That said, I don't disagree with you - the conclusion in the OP is bunk. I seriously doubt that anyone who had this condition could aspire to be the town dogcatcher - let alone the President.
These presidents did NOT have that kind of social phobia, they simply were shy, and Jefferson wasn't even that, he was just an elitist.
You can not run, nor serve as President, if you can't meet and talk to people and the examples given (like Coolidge) do not fit the bill.
They have taken true terms, but expanded the definations so far out that everyone could reasonably fit in.