Naw, take exception to this one who may be intellectual, but smart??? "Tim Geithner, for (so far) avoiding The Great Depression 2. (Though it ain't over til the fat lady sings.)"

More like 'robbing from the needy and giving to the greedy' and already well-heeled Ponzers: loosely RR quote notes.
Oh, and think she is still in the bathroom putting on her make-up getting ready for it is the American taxpayer who has saved these bank and WS execs via their buddies in the government. The sharks are already circling the chum, once again, for too big to fail bail outs.

No doubt the brilliant guys will once again 'save' the day with American tax dollars - not that they ask anyone or allow any regulations of how they take on these risky deals, mind you.

Probably the smartest person you never heard of:

Stephen Wolfram. Published an article on particle physics at age 15. PhD from CalTech age 20. Was unsatisfied with mathematics programs, so he wrote his own language to develop a new math program, called Mathematica - now the world standard.

That's a small percentage.
Yep, pretty smart.

Pope Benedict XVI, but see "fat Lady" above.

This is a pretty funny list, particularly the items about Sarkozy, Giuliniani, and Hitchens.

"Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, writer and director of The Lives of Others."
BRAVO!

Mr. Buckley had to resign from The National Review because of his support for Barack Obama. Few can argue that this was the most ill-advised, bone-headed career move a conservative (or a liberal, for that matter) could have made. This makes his pick of smart people of the last decade hilarious; even more so once you read his choices. At least his father, a true intellectual, didn't live to see his son turn into a parody of a media buffoon who looks stupid in a hat.

Actuallly his father probably would have supported his move and would have been very vocal about his disgust with the present day GOP "Conservative" movement which is nothing like it was back in his days of "Honest" intellectuall discourse. At least he did not start each day or each program by stating right away that whatever the subject "it won't work."

Nothing against Matthew Weiner or David Chase, but what about David Simon? "The Wire" was unlike any serial drama before or since. Honor this man!

this isn't a serious list, people.

take it for what it is.

Hillary Clinton, for the job she's doing as Secretary of State.

WHAT specifically has MRS Clinton done to be included on this list? Bill Clinton is brilliant: his wife is merely well educated and has done a dismal job in every appointed or elected position she has held. her lack of information on the cultures of the world is frightening and if results matter she would be deemed uneducable not brilliant. but have mr buckley support his nominees with proof of their accomplishments rather than just listing the mediocre and expecting us to find him believable.

I "love" how Mr. Buckley continues to receive hateful comments from conservatives who feel he should be a conservative talking point machine, simply because his father was an architect of the conservative moment (not this one!).

So long as Buckley speaks his mind, I will listen and laugh at the juicy comments that his articles will most assuredly garner!

Whats all this blather about your smartest 16 picks? Who cares? C'mon Buckley. You know what we want to hear: your admission that voting for Obama was your biggest mistake. Come clean already.