Actually it's not his smarts so much as it's his recognition of what's the right thing to do, and the gumption to actually do it. Not to mention the fact that he's not afraid to ask God for help.
If you've got that going for you, the "smart" part is secondary.
And if you're a Democrat playing politics against doing the right thing, no amount of smarts will help.
That last point is important: the D's are so busy trying to "beat Bush" that they are automatically opposed to whatever he does, regardless of whether or not it's the right thing. People notice these things, and I think (hope) it'll come back to haunt them come November.