Submission + - Engineers and scientists as political leaders
An anonymous reader writes: The outgoing President of India, Abdul Kalam, is an oddity in the political world. He has a great deal of brains as well as hardcore geek credentials. Abudl Kalam studied Aero Engineering at the Madras Institute of Technology and later contributed to the design, development and management of India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle. A technological visionary he has the kind of background that I would love to see in a political leader. While the President of India is a largely ceremonial position, its the Indian Prime Minister (currently an Economist) who has the power, its still remarkable that a geek can ascend to such a position of political prominence. Is there any hope for America that something similar will one day ensue? Will we someday have a geek as the Vice-President or a viable Presidential candidate? Can America put aside its prejudice of anti-intellectualism and support somebody with a strong background in science and/or technology? If not, do you see this harming America's competitiveness in the future?