In most of the world an executive who surrounds himself with highly competent advisers is regarded as admirably self-confident.

It follows that, in order to spot these literary fakers it is necessary to know that BolIvar was not a Chinese monk-know something of the sciences yourself or enlist competent advisers.

Mr. Friedman also makes the case that Mr. Bush has selected competent advisers because Mr. Bush is ignorant on matters of foreign policy.

Henry, unlike his older brother Alan, was quite interested in the iron business and had several competent advisers whom the brothers had selected as guardians of their estate.

"He tried to reassure the American people by having a lot of highly experienced and competent advisers around him," the general said, speaking of President Bush.

He was, perhaps more than anyone who worked in the subways at the time, its institutional memory, a superior subway historian, a competent technical adviser, and he even dabbled in labor matters.

In a half-century as a trial lawyer, Mr. St. Clair developed a reputation as a dignified, courteous, highly competent adviser to a wide range of clients who spanned the political spectrum.

As with other dynamic politicians, Alooma's reformist goals led him to seek loyal and competent advisers and allies, and he frequently relied on slaves who had been educated in noble homes.

I have a competent monetary adviser.

He ignored competent advisers like Gen. Anthony Zinni and others who predicted that the Iraqi Army and security forces might melt away after the state apparatus self-destructed, leading to chaos.