Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Truer words were never writ. So, let's turn the matter on its head. Who should be President, whether he/she likes it or not?
I personally have only one basic requirement: they should have experience in an executive-branch leadership position, with responsibility for at least a million people, and they should have done their job with integrity. That means governors, military leaders, and the mayors of some of the larger cities. Some of you may wish to include senators in your consideration, but a career in the legislature has a tendency to bring a lot of political baggage and not enough experience really managing things.
In any case, please provide a link for further information.
Also if you have ideas for systems to discover White-House-worthy citizens from the general populace, please share. An election tournament beginning at the neighborhood level seems like a decent start.
My nomination goes to Former Army General Eric Shinseki, the Japanese-American Army Chief-Of-Staff who publicly insisted we would need far more troops to win the peace in Iraq. Rumsfeld ignored his advice and forced him to resign, but history has proven him right. He has served in combat with distinction, and apparently commands a good deal of respect from the troops. I don't know what his politics are but he seems to be a real reality-based pragmatist, which works for me.