It shows that he is willing to put an intellectual in charge of an important issue. (Stephen Goldsmith, the former mayor of Indianapolis, will play second fiddle to the university professor.) But it also shows that Mr Bush has a shrewd sense of how to use intellectuals to advance his agenda.
Maze has had to play second fiddle to the likes of American superstar Lindsey Vonn, the previous holder of the women's points record of 1980, but no longer.