I guess the real point here as you and others point out, is the nebulousness of the term "Pit Bull" and the idiocy of condemning an entire breed of dog due to irrational behavior on the part of a few and the foolishness of some owners.
German Shepherds have my vote as the "most intelligent". I don't care what the animal behaviorists have to say about border collies and poodles. They might be easier to train to do a lot of amusing tricks, but having had a German Shepherd, I, like you, know they can REALLY "think" in a very human sense and analyze and solve problems other so called "intelligent" breeds could never solve.
Sure, they can be problem dogs - some have been overbred by too many puppy mills. But if I had to pick one breed of dog to trust my life with or that of my family, it would be a well-bred, well-trained German Shepherd dog.
Bravo! Want on my GSD ping? :D
As for "pits", I don't know for sure but all the time I've had discussions or done some research (this was subject of an English paper I did in college - 13 years ago), I've never quite seen Bull Terriers lumped in w/the others. While I think they may all be related and all had more or less the same background (as did the Bulldogs, let's not forget that), they are definitely distinct in type w/their big roman-nosed heads. I don't see them pinned too much as "pit bulls", altho I'm sure the fraidy-cat fools running around Joe-Schmoe Land would be glad to lump them in if you tell them they were made to bait bulls.
Again to the GS - yes, I think you're possibly correct. Well, at least my most beloved dog ever was the perfect GS, and amongst other things she showed herself probably smarter than a whole pack of Border Collies (literally). She outsmarted them as a youngster in their own home (my aunt's) - as if she knew it better and how to exploit it better than they! While closing a glass-pane door on them when they ran out to fetch a toy we'd toss into the opposite room, the Borders would just sit at the door and hope you'd let them back in. My Shana then encountered the closed door when fetching - and promptly turned tail and ran around the other long way thru the house to get back to us in our room!