The Plank

Slideshow: Geeks In Government

Benjamin Wallace-Wells's newest TNR piece revisits David Halberstam's treatment of Robert McNamara in The Best and the Brightest and argues that, far from criticizing McNamara for his expertise, Halberstam indicts him for being a "brilliant generalist" who knew little about any particular subject.

Be they "brilliant generalists" or experts in their fields, the executive branch has not lacked for academics, quantitative jocks, and other quintessential "nerds" throughout the years. Click through to learn more about past geeks in government.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

--Dylan Matthews

COMMENTS (2)

08/14/2009 - 7:58am EDT | iambiguous

How do the folks on Wall Street distinguish between the best and the brightest and the worst and the dullest members in the Obama adminstration?

They simply ask the best and the brightest and the worst and the dullest members in the Bush administration.

They did this and discovered it was six of one and half a dozen of the other.  Or, after factoring in bias, it was half a dozen of one and six of the other.

Alas, the folks on Main Street were disqualifed because none of them could name a member of either adminstration.

At least the bitter ones.

gw

08/14/2009 - 3:01pm EDT | SMacEachern2

? That's a Soviet RPD, a light machine gun. What's McNamara doing with it - juggling?

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