No. I didn’t know President Hoover. President Hoover was not my friend. But Senator McCain, you’re not Herbert Hoover.

I know. I know. After McCain had stated that “the fundamentals of the economy are strong,” even Chris Matthews compared McCain to the late and much maligned Republican President. But while I’ve never been a great fan of Hoover’s economic policies, the fact is that Hoover — unlike McCain — was a very intelligent and talented man who — again, unlike McCain — had achieved quite a lot in his long life. BTW, did you know that his vice president was half-Indian (Native American), which means that if Hoover had died in office, we could have ended-up with the first bi-racial U.S. President? I didn’t know.

In any case, in this rare footage from 1955, Hoover at the age of 82 looked better than the 73-year-old McCain (which is what 62 used to be in the 1950’s). And here Hoover is addressing the 1960 Republican convention. I’m not sure whether it’s the lighting but for some reason he looks like a member of this family. Indeed, just based on the size of his head, you have to conclude — especially after reading this study published in The Phrenological Journal and Miscellany that Hoover was really smart.