Throughout last year's presidential election, media accounts, debate performances, and other appearances led to the establishment of very clear public assumptions about personality of both major-party candidates. While President Bush has for years been seen as a verbally-challenged simpleton, our Senator Kerry developed the reputation for being an intellectual and overly-complex orator.

Since the campaign, The Globe has been fighting hard to get Kerry's military and medical records released, the former of which would include his Yale transcript. We all know of the President's mediocre performance during his undergraduate years, but the Senator had refused to release his records so little was known of his actual grades. But now, seven months after the election, Kerry has given the go-ahead to have most of the files released and the Globe was quick to point out this morning that, in a shocking turn of events, Kerry actual had a nearly identical cumulative C-average to the President:

...Bush had received a cumulative score of 77 for his first three years at Yale and a roughly similar average under a non-numerical rating system during his senior year.

Kerry, who graduated two years before Bush, got a cumulative 76 for his four years, according to a transcript that Kerry sent to the Navy when he was applying for officer training school. He received four D's in his freshman year out of 10 courses, but improved his average in later years.

It may be a secret, but Bostonist is beginning to suspect that poor grades are a requirement for membership in the Skull and Bones Society and a chance to rule the free world!