Whether Donald Trump could be a serviceable or better President of the United States beginning in January, 2013 no one knows yet. The Trump we all think we know is the purely public man. He has long since determined that it is in the interest of his various business enterprises to foster the public image of a brash, supremely self-confident swashbuckler. The public Trump is surely part of the picture, but may not be all of it, because successful public men are usually adept and showing us only what they think is in their interest to show us in any given circumstance.

Some of the critiques of Trump as potential candidate have seemed beside the point, for example that he  embraced  positions in the past that he has since abandoned, like  in 2000,  support for Canadian-type "universal health care. " Paul Ryan supported TARP in 2008, and TARP was within Ryan's area of expertise, while even Trump, for all his, "I am very smart; I did phenomenally well in school," never claimed to be a health policy wonk. Leaders worth anything grow and refine their thinking, and with Trump one also has to allow for the faist NooYawk tawk hip-shooting that was his way when he made the health care comments, and still is.  It is not unreasonable to assume that he will learn to restrain this tendency if he actually becomes a candidate. As to forking over campaign dollars to Democrat predators like Chuck Schumer and Rahm Emmanuel, how else would a real estate developer at Trump's level operate?

Remember, he is less than complimentary about the Chinese and Koreans: "They are ripping us off," but at the same time brags, "I've done deals with them; I've made a lot of money from them..." Business is business, and therein may be the real key to determining Trump's suitability for the big job.

If any Trump skeptics really want to help us all understand him they need to unearth how he actually does business. I admit, on the surface he seems like one of those know it all's who talk much and listen little. But if this is the case would he be as successful as he has been? We need to know from those who have worked with him how he makes decisions and whether he knows what a dialog is, whether he appreciates that there are people who know more than he does about a subject, and can distinguish good from bad information and advice.  

Is Trump just the brash egoist he seems, or in his business dealings does  he evidence an  understanding that, as Thomas Sowell reminds us, "reality is not optional?" Someone needs to take the time to find out.

One advantage a novice candidate Trump definitely has over Barack Obama is conservative as well as establishment media scrutiny, if not outright hostility. Everything about Trump is, and will be, subject to the kind of searching analysis that Barack Obama never experienced. Obama seems to lack the inherent capacity to overcome this handicap. Because he gives every appearance of never having been challenged in his life, his performance as President, naturally, has suffered.

Trump will not be spared the critiques, and certainly has the combativeness to respond. If it turns out he also has the wit  to learn and capacity to modulate and grow as well, as he seemed to suggest in  an interview on Friday with Rush Limbaugh when  he accepted an ex cathedra Attilae lesson on the subject of "bipartisanship," he  just may make a case for getting hired.