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The assertion that the idiosyncratic traits of politicians -- their beliefs, preferences, personality and prejudices -- influence their behavior while in office is ostensibly uncontroversial. Nevertheless, modern political science has few tools to systematically study the role of idiosyncrasy in government. I argue, first, that the idiosyncrasies of leadership can have first-order effects on policy and, second, that such idiosyncrasies can be effectively studied. Specifically, I propose that a focus on mechanisms of political selection â€" the processes through which individuals attain political prominence â€" provides a means to systematically study variation in idiosyncratic traits. To illustrate the theory I analyze the formation of AIDS policy in post-Apartheid South Africa. Contrary to some prominent accounts, I argue that AIDS denialism did not stem from structural factors such as ethnic divisions or boundary institutions, but rather from a process of learning and political selection under Apartheid that shaped the African National Congress leadership. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]