I thought I responded to this one already. What happened to my post?
Anyway, what I wrote was that the intelligence factor does really make a difference for me. Bush's unwillingness and inability to think about the long haul, to reflect on decisions before he makes them and to really consider their long-term consequences, combined with his inability to speak coherently and cogently to both the citizens in his own country and the leaders of other world governments-- all of that lines up to make him a simply horrifyingly dangerous president. So the fact that Kerry is thoughtful and well-spoken with a reasonable ability to communicate is a big deal, IMO. It DOES separate the two in a dramatic way, even if you don't look beyond to any of their stances and values (which I also think is worth doing).