IQ is not without its biases, but it’s terrific for a broad-strokes comparison. I want smart competent people in leadership positions. It’s a complex world.

There’s a lot of discussion about the candidates’ IQ scores, but I’ve only found good evidence for McCain and Palin (see links). The other scores are unverified and from multiple sources – please send any better figures/links in the comments and I will gladly update this. I’m throwing in some others for fun.

• >200 – “Unmeasurable genius”
• 180-200 – Highest genius
• 165-179 – High genius
• 155-164 – Genius (e.g., Nobel Prize winners)
• 145-154 – Genius (e.g., professors)
• 135-144 – Highly gifted (e.g., intellectuals)
• 125-134 – Gifted (e.g., post-graduate students)
• 115-124 – Above average (e.g., university students)

• Over 140 – Genius or near genius
• Garry Kasparov – IQ 190
• Ludwig Wittgenstein – IQ 190
• Voltaire – IQ 190
• Leonardo da Vinci – IQ 180
• Lord Byron – IQ 180
• Michelangelo – IQ 180
• James Woods – IQ 180
• George Friedrich Handel – IQ 170
• Stephen W. Hawking – IQ >160
• Bill Clinton – IQ 159-182
• Barack Obama – IQ 148-172
• Plato – IQ 170
• Galileo – IQ 165
• Ludwig van Beethoven – IQ 165
• Charles Darwin – IQ 165
• Charlotte Bronte – IQ 165
• Jonathan Swift – IQ 155
• Sharon Stone – IQ 154
• Abraham Lincoln – IQ 150
• Franklin D. Roosevelt – IQ 147
• Joe Biden – IQ 146
• Richard Nixon – IQ 143
• 120 – 140 – Very superior intelligence
• Hillary Clinton – IQ 140
• Madonna – IQ 140
• Harry Truman – IQ 132
• George W – IQ 91-134
• John McCain – IQ 133
• Jodie Foster – IQ 132
• Nicole Kidman – IQ 132
• Dwight D. Eisenhower – IQ 122
• 110 – 119 – Superior intelligence
• 90 – 109 – Normal or average intelligence
• Ronald Reagan – IQ 105
• 80 – 89 – Dullness
• Sarah Palin – IQ 82
• 70 – 79 – Borderline deficiency
• 50-70 – Mild mental retardation
• 35-50 – Moderate mental retardation
• 20-35 – Severe mental retardation
• IQ < 20 - Profound mental retardation

• A score of 132 equals the top 2%
• A score of 134 equals the top 1%
• 50% of IQ scores fall between 90 and 110
• 70% of IQ scores fall between 85 and 115
• 95% of IQ scores fall between 70 and 130
• 99.5% of IQ scores fall between 60 and 140
• A score of 68 equals the bottom 2%
• A score of 66 equals the bottom 1%