What, exactly, was Rick Perry doing in college? He certainly wasn't studying. Now, I know grades are a touchy subject. They do not always equate to great leadership; there are some fantastic political leaders that didn't get the best grades, or who didn't even attend college at all. And of course there are those elitists from the finest ivy league schools who got impeccable grades but couldn't lead someone out of a paper bag. And yet, as someone in academia myself, the following transcript worries me:
First of all, yes Bush was a middling student as well. He partied it up in college, skating by with C's. All things considered though, he wasn't the worst president ever, despite his flaws. He had character qualities that allowed him to admirably lead us through the dark times when our nation was attacked on 9/11. And Yale, after all, isn't just any school; it's probably the top school in the nation. So C's at Yale? Well, Bush was still a fairly smart guy.
Rick Perry, on the other hand, got worse grades than Bush at Texas A&M. I don't know if you've ever lived in Texas, and I sincerely and deeply apologize to all Aggies, but this is the school that even Texans mock for the acumen of its students (granted, UT grads are more prone to engage in said mockery than others). A&M is about a lot of things. It is about tradition, military, agriculture, Texas, lifelong relationships, etc. Educating the best and the brightest? Well, not so much.
Rick Perry got to where he is right now by shaking the right hands, greasing the right palms, switching to the right political parties, and generally working the good ol' boys club like a pro. Credit where credit is due, he is second to none when it comes to networking. He'd make a heck of a salesman. But that doesn't mean he'd make a good President when it comes to that 3 a.m. phone call. Ron Paul may be a little bit naive about the threat that Iran represents to the U.S., but with Perry who knows? I'd worry that World War III might break out after the obliteration of Iran in the first week of his presidency. "Cowboy" doesn't even begin to describe it. More like "reckless disregard for history".
Among the noteworthy grades (remember this is at A&M):
History of the U.S.: C
History of the U.S.: C
American National Government: B
Not so sharp on history, but loves big government. Figures.
World Military Systems: C
World Military Systems: B
World Military Systems: A
World Military Systems: C
The Professional Officer: C
The Professional Officer: C
I'm guessing all these were connected to his ROTC training. Contrary to reports, he did not just "get an A in World Military Systems". He gave it some effort sophomore year but slacked off the rest of the time.
Improvisation of Learning: A
I'd say he did a lot of improvisation in his classes.
Principles of Economics: D
Need I say more? And this ain't your typical liberal university, so I don't think you can chalk this one up to a difference of philosophy over Keynesian principles. As colleges go, A&M is one of the most conservative public universities in the nation. Also, this was taken in a summer term, where he should have had more time to concentrate on the subject. But apparently he was more concerned with soil science, in which he received a B.
To recap: Perry got mostly C's and D's at A&M, his best grades were on the veterinary side of things, and he required a lot of summer terms to graduate as well. To me, this looks like the record of someone who couldn't care less for studying in college, but did the bare minimum to skate by. Maybe as an air force officer he didn't see the need for a lot of school, but it certainly helps when, you know, you're trying to become the most powerful man on earth. Good looks and glad handing Bank of America just aren't going to cut it when it comes to leading the free world.
Update: Bonus material! Just another example of Perry trying to throw around his influence as Lt. Governor in order to break the law:
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