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Keller @ Large: What Makes An Effective President?

BOSTON (CBS) - It's the latest spat in the Democratic presidential race, a debate between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders over who's qualified to be president, or if either one of them are.

It started when Sanders gave a newspaper interview in which he couldn't come up with basic details of how he would implement one of his core campaign vows, breaking up the big banks.

Clinton pounced, telling Sanders he shouldn't make promises he can't keep. Sanders responded by slamming Clinton as unqualified for the job because she's taken campaign donations from Wall Street, and voted for the Iraq war, among other offenses.

So, what does qualify someone to be an effective president?

It's not just resume. George H.W. Bush had the most impressive resume of any president in our lifetimes, but was bounced after one term with low approval ratings. His son had two terms, but his lack of experience showed, as it did for his successor, who proved that good intentions and eloquent speech-making don't automatically translate into presidential success.

I think several attributes are a must to be a good president.

You have to have incredibly thick skin. You need world-class social skills to charm the skeptics. You need to know how to disarm old enemies and avoid making new ones. And flexibility along with long-term vision are good attributes as well.

So, just find someone who fits that bill, get them past the campaign gauntlet, and we're all set.

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