Presidential Swagger

Fonzworth Bentley rates the White House hopefuls

September 27, 2007—If anyone knows how to use manners, confidence, and style to get ahead, it's Fonzworth Bentley. And, as a matter of fact, that's the subtitle of his new book, Advance Your Swagger. To celebrate its release, we asked the hip-hop dandy and man-about-town to rate the... swaggerosity of a crew deeply in need of his advice—the top male presidential candidates.

The Democrats

Barack Obama (7 out of 10)
"I think he should do a strong deep-eggplant tie that he could make his own, like Clinton owned the blue tie. Not a merlot, but a beautiful plum or eggplant."

John Edwards (5.5 out of 10)
"We all know about his $400 haircut, but I'm not going to give him flack for that, because he looks young. He doesn't seem to care much about style. It almost seems like he has 60 suits and he just goes through them 1 to 60."

Joe Biden (4 out of 10)
"I think this guy invented the gray sack suit. Have we ever seen him in blue? He has the salt-and-pepper hair, but that doesn't mean he can't wear a bold gray pinstripe. Let us see that Fortune 500 power-suit sensibility."

The Republicans

Fred Thompson (7 out of 10)
"You can tell this guy is an actor. Yes, he has a receding hairline, but he pulls it back and keeps it elegant. He's got the sexy young wife, and he's not afraid of pinstripes or pocket squares. He's one that could actually set some trends."

Rudy Giuliani (4 out of 10)
"He's got the textbook politician look.... I would lend myself to him, and we'd do Madison Avenue for a day. That might help."

John McCain (2 out of 10)
"He ain't never had nothing close to swagger, though we'll give him some credit since he's a war hero. But he looks like my fifth-grade social studies teacher."

Advance Your Swagger: How to Use Manners, Confidence, and Style to Get Ahead, $16.50, available at amazon.com