A majority of voters don't want any of the current candidates to be president. While I'm basing this statement on a somewhat fraudulent parsing of various poll questions and the Prez's current approval ratings, I think that statement is more true than people might like. A lot of people who "approve" of the Prez would rather have someone else in charge, though they'd be hard pressed to name a viable alternative. And there are plenty of polls out there that show most Republicans aren't happy with their slate.

There's a simple reason for this: None of the current candidates are natural politicians. Most of them are smart, and a fair number of them are good-looking (an attribute that far too many people overlook or dismiss). But none of them have a natural empathy and rapport with regular folks.

We've been spoiled. Three of our last four presidents have been among the most accomplished politicians in our nation's history. Policies aside, they were able to earn the admiration of most people in this country. Yes, George W. Bush burned almost all of that goodwill, but as anyone who has been near the man can tell you, he's a charmer. Not just that. He's a sincere charmer. Not in Bill "The Sexiest Handshake You'll Ever Get" Clinton territory, but W is nothing if not a people person.

Ronald Reagan was notoriously stiff and distant in person, but he didn't deal with regular people very often. Nonetheless, he remained popular with the peeps even as his administration ground itself into dust while attempting to deal with the Iran-Contra scandal.

I think it's safe to say that neither the Prez or any of the current Republican candidates have that sort of personal appeal. And Chris Christie? Um, no. The only Republican I can think of who might qualify is Mike Huckabee. He's a very likable guy, even when you know that many of his political ideas were written on cave walls.

As for Democrats, there aren't that many who would qualify, either. The folks in the House are just as attack-trained as Republicans. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is genuinely funny and personable, but she also seems far too sane to harbor a desire to be president. The Cuomo kid? Maybe. But he's still playing his way up to the majors.

Some might call this lack of skilled politicians simply a symptom of these dyspeptic times. Maybe that's true. But looking back, it's also true that we have had very few presidents who have the common touch. Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln are considered three of our best presidents. There is a reason they're on Mount Rushmore. But none of them had anything resembling the common touch. Washington inspired admiration, Jefferson fairly blazed with intellect and Lincoln had leadership qualities that might well have dwarfed even Washington's, but none of them really had any relationship with regular folks. Lincoln probably had more empathy for "the people," given that he was actually born in a log cabin and worked his way doggedly to the presidency. But his years in the White House were spent in isolation, and he died before he could enjoy the fruit of his efforts to preserve the union.

Maybe this need to have a pal as president is more symptomatic of the times. Sometimes we seem to elect people based on the question "Whom would you rather have a beer with?" rather than "Who will be the best leader?" Are we all just narcissistic fools flushing our country down the toilet? Or are we simply human beings with the usual unrealistic human dreams?

Both, I figure. In any case, whoever is our next president won't sit at a desk and dissolve the union, as Gorbachev did thirty years ago. He (or she) will do the best job possible, even if most of us dismiss the performance in that job as inadequate and quite possibly offensive.

That, too, is sadly human.

Jon Worley is a human being.