excepting Barak Obama, who is the worst US President in HIstory?

[coldstream]

Neo-cons go nuts when they see how far Ronald Reagan has fallen down the totem poll (barely in the top half now) After the Republican libertarian wing has named Aircraft Carriers and Airports and think tanks after him.. people still see him a zonked out, well meaning but hopelessly befuddled dolt.. a charicature of a President.. a puppet for libertarian interests. And seeing Fanklin Roosevelt.. that incipient 'communist' at top.. drives them to total distraction.

The U.S. has had one 'great' President about once every 100 years.. George Washington.. who invented the Post as Grand Imperator.. Abraham Lincoln.. who held the Union together.. and Franklin Roosevelt.. who resolved the Great Depression and defeated fascism. It seems to back up the 'Great Man' theory.. which holds that desperate times alone produce great leaders.

 

[petros]

Neo-cons go nuts when they see how far Ronald Reagan has fallen down the totem poll (barely in the top half now) After the Republican libertarian wing has named Aircraft Carriers and Airports and think tanks after him.. people still see him a zonked out, well meaning but hopelessly befuddled dolt.. a charicature of a President.. a puppet for libertarian interests. And seeing Fanklin Roosevelt.. that incipient 'communist' at top.. drives them to total distraction.

The U.S. has had one 'great' President about once every 100 years.. George Washington.. who invented the Post as Grand Imperator.. Abraham Lincoln.. who held the Union together.. and Franklin Roosevelt.. who resolved the Great Depression and defeated fascism. It seems to back up the 'Great Man' theory.. which holds that desperate times alone produce great leaders.

Neo-cons are a whole new breed. Reagan wasn't one of them.

 

[JLM]

Bush made the top twenty in only two categories, luck (18th) and willingness to take risks (19th), and he sits in the bottom five in 12 of the 20 categories, notably 42nd in intelligence, foreign policy accomplishments, and communication ability. Lonnstrom points out the unpopular former president has time on his side, explaining it takes four or five decades to know a president's true worth. "Right now there's a lot of emotion about Bush," he says. "Time passes and people become more objective, and so we'll see."

The ratings are just all over the map, depending on who you ask. Here we have Reagan at 18th and U.S. Grant just below the middle! Of course F.D.R. was given 4 chances to achieve his high rating!

 

[hunboldt]

Bush made the top twenty in only two categories, luck (18th) and willingness to take risks (19th), and he sits in the bottom five in 12 of the 20 categories, notably 42nd in intelligence, foreign policy accomplishments, and communication ability. Lonnstrom points out the unpopular former president has time on his side, explaining it takes four or five decades to know a president's true worth. "Right now there's a lot of emotion about Bush," he says. "Time passes and people become more objective, and so we'll see."

Franklin D. Roosevelt has held his title as top president since 1982 with the same four following to round out the consistent top five: Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson.

Joining Bush in the bottom five this year are Franklin Pierce, Warren G. Harding, James Buchanan, and Andrew Johnson, who is at the very bottom for the second year in a row.

The survey, which ranks presidents using 20 different factors, shows Jefferson was the most intelligent president, Richard Nixon was the worst at integrity and avoiding crucial mistakes, Lincoln had the best overall ability, and Washington was the best leader.

Here's the full list*:

1. Franklin D. Roosevelt

2. Theodore Roosevelt

3. Abraham Lincoln

4. George Washington

5. Thomas Jefferson

6. James Madison

7. James Monroe

8. Woodrow Wilson

9. Harry Truman

10. Dwight D. Eisenhower

11. John F. Kennedy

12. James K. Polk

13. William Clinton

14. Andrew Jackson

15. Barack Obama

16. Lyndon B. Johnson

17. John Adams

18. Ronald Reagan

19. John Quincy Adams

20. Grover Cleveland

21. William McKinley

22. George H. W. Bush

23. Martin Van Buren

24. William Howard Taft

25. Chester Arthur

26. Ulysses S. Grant

27. James Garfield

28. Gerald Ford

29. Calvin Coolidge

30. Richard Nixon

31. Rutherford B. Hayes

32. James Carter

33. Zachary Taylor

34. Benjamin Harrison

35. William Henry Harrison

36. Herbert Hoover

37. John Tyler

38. Millard Fillmore

39. George W. Bush

40. Franklin Pierce

41. Warren G. Harding

42. James Buchanan

43. Andrew Johnson

- Survey Ranks Obama 15th Best President, Bush Among Worst - US News and World Report

Good points.
GWB may have been an acceptable president if the 9-11 crisis hadn't erupted. The Iraq excursion may mellow in time. However, it was a massive attack on the wrong target. Hussein had nothing to do with Al Qaeda, which as proliferated since 2007 - in Iraq.

Madison, by contrast, lead the States into an avoidable war, but he had the ability to adapt and to devise an acceptable 'exit strategy'.

Monroe is heavily underrated, as his Monroe policy was a long term triumph, uniting British and American interests.

Fillmore is underrated. His applying the 'Fugitive slave laws' was a disaster, but the House of Congress was responsible for a really unsavory law. The eleven years of peace and prosperity ( 50-61) turned the north into a railway powerhouse that swamped the South. in 1850 the US had one rickety connector between the great lakes and the Ohio.

At what savings may be the more appropriate question. While Saddam was in power he was killing on average over 30,000 of his own citizens annually.



I liked Ronnie mainly for one reason as intangible as it may be. He had that aura of optimism about him.

Actually , by 2003 Hussein had mellowed down. His psychotic sons were raping about one Iraqi woman a week, but the country was in a peace lock up.

The invasion was 'maybe ', but the occupation was a disaster. The US should have slapped a Baathish ' Non Hussein 'in power and left.

 

[WLDB]

The survey, which ranks presidents using 20 different factors, shows Jefferson was the most intelligent president,

I'm not too surprised by that. Unfortunate that the most intelligent President also happened to be one of the worst when it comes to handling money. At least in his personal life. I dont know much about his presidency in that department other than the Louisiana purchase which seemed to work out well for them. He wound up dying in massive debt.

 

[JLM]

I'm not too surprised by that. Unfortunate that the most intelligent President also happened to be one of the worst when it comes to handling money. At least in his personal life. I dont know much about his presidency in that department other than the Louisiana purchase which seemed to work out well for them. He wound up dying in massive debt.

Intelligence is a pretty nebulous thing and probably next to impossible to measure. To begin with there are 7 different types of intelligence and possibly they all factor in to some degree in various ratios necessary to be president. But I'm guessing the ratios for each one would be quite different from George Washington to Barack Obama. Like probably knowledge of nuclear physics probably didn't rank too high in George's day and Barack probably doesn't need to know too much about shoeing horses.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

I'm not too surprised by that. Unfortunate that the most intelligent President also happened to be one of the worst when it comes to handling money. At least in his personal life. I dont know much about his presidency in that department other than the Louisiana purchase which seemed to work out well for them. He wound up dying in massive debt.

Jefferson and TR were the most intelligent Presidents. Unfortunately, intelligence isn't enough. Reagan was a very good President, and he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

The worst was probably Hoover, the Man Who Did Nothing. And by all accounts, he was pretty sharp.

 

[55Mercury]

I think being millions in debt when you die is pretty sharp. I mean, you're waaaaaaaaaay ahead of the game at that point.

 

[WLDB]

I think being millions in debt when you die is pretty sharp. I mean, you're waaaaaaaaaay ahead of the game at that point.

ha, true in a way. Not so good if you are the person who inherits the debts.

 

[damngrumpy]

Walter until Reagan America was a giant in production and world influence
After the breakup of the industrial complex he started them on the long road
down for short term gain. Actual George got the blame for a lot of things
where the mold was set.
I didn't care for W but I didn't mind old man Bush so much he was a fiscal
conservative. Obama was handed the biggest sh*t pile in history and he
has fallen short in some areas because he didn't go far enough. Our American
friends should understand in Canada he would be regarded as a left wing
Conservative. Obama is not the best but he is a long way from the worst.

 

[Kreskin]

Hilary will be way up on the list, after striking the "New Deal".

 

[JLM]

Hilary will be way up on the list, after striking the "New Deal".

Hilary is just a big bullsh*tter!

Jefferson and TR were the most intelligent Presidents. Unfortunately, intelligence isn't enough. Reagan was a very good President, and he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

The worst was probably Hoover, the Man Who Did Nothing. And by all accounts, he was pretty sharp.

Abe may well have been the most intelligent, who else has been a lawyer after only spending less than a year in school? I doubt if intelligence is the most import trait required for presidency. I think right at the top is having the patience to get as informed as you can and then having the sagacity to make a decision.

 

[hunboldt]

Hilary is just a big bullsh*tter!



Abe may well have been the most intelligent, who else has been a lawyer after only spending less than a year in school? I doubt if intelligence is the most import trait required for presidency. I think right at the top is having the patience to get as informed as you can and then having the sagacity to make a decision.

Hillary Clinton won't run in 2016. She's just a red herring for the republicans to chase around.

AL was intelligent enough to see that the pander to us or king cotton leaves was increasingly hollow. The British Empire, Argentina, Turkey, etc were expanding cotton production.

 

[WLDB]

Abe may well have been the most intelligent, who else has been a lawyer after only spending less than a year in school?

I believe John A Macdonald would be on that list. He got most of his legal education working for a lawyer rather than going to a law school. In the 19th century things were very different when it came to formal education.

 

[gopher]

The mess in Iraq now is worse than when Saddam was there. Prior to that we
had a group of cutthroat leaders who were scared of Iraq now no one is afraid
of anyone. In a region where life is depended on fear, it destabilizes the area.
Reagan was the worst as he destroyed the first world's economy with the utter
nonsense of free trade. We lost manufacturing and other high paid jobs and
allowed companies to dismantle our way of life and reduce our standard of
living. I agree with competition but not when it comes to reducing our living
standards and having an international race to the bottom.
Reagan started this whole thing along with the other clowns like Mulroney and
the wind bag Maggie Thatcher. They did more harm and backed more despots
that opened the door for us to make all kinds of deals with the Devil in China
and the Middle East. George Bush was not the worst, he was a puppet for the
Vice President. Reagan was the worst

Right wingers continually repeat how Saddam killed so many of his own people. But they conveniently forget that Suharto killed even more and he was Gerald Ford's best pal. In fact Ford wined and dined him at the White House.

 

[JLM]

Right wingers continually repeat how Saddam killed so many of his own people. But they conveniently forget that Suharto killed even more and he was Gerald Ford's best pal. In fact Ford wined and dined him at the White House.

And Hitler and Stalin killed more than any of them, but still 30,000 a year is quite a toll don't you think?

I believe John A Macdonald would be on that list. He got most of his legal education working for a lawyer rather than going to a law school. In the 19th century things were very different when it came to formal education.

Yep, in those days it was who you knew more than what you knew even more so than it is today.

 

[hunboldt]

And Hitler and Stalin killed more than any of them, but still 30,000 a year is quite a toll don't you think?



Yep, in those days it was who you knew more than what you knew even more so than it is today.

 

[Blackleaf]

So? You trying to suggest that Brits make the best assassins or something?

John Wilkes Booth was American.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Right wingers continually repeat how Saddam killed so many of his own people. But they conveniently forget that Suharto killed even more and he was Gerald Ford's best pal. In fact Ford wined and dined him at the White House.

Is there a point in this?

Don't get me wrong, I was completely opposed to the invasion of Iraq. But your argument sounds suspiciously like "If you can't fight all evil, you shouldn't fight any evil." Which is a stupid argument.

 

[hunboldt]

Is there a point in this?

Don't get me wrong, I was completely opposed to the invasion of Iraq. But your argument sounds suspiciously like "If you can't fight all evil, you shouldn't fight any evil." Which is a stupid argument.

You have to separate the occupation from the invasion. You go in , topple the Hussein's, tell some less vile power chieftain to run the place better and 'work toward Democracy', then leave. Great live fire, low risk low loss military exercise.

I actually approved of the invasion. Not the satrapy.