Better.
Posted on 02/14/2009 10:56:52 PM PST by Eleutheria5
(Feb. 14) - It's no surprise to see Abraham Lincoln, the man who held the nation together when it was on the brink of collapse, atop the list of greatest American presidents. But many other presidents are judged far differently by experts than by the general public. Bill Clinton left office with a high approval rating, but a panel of writers who focus on US politics and foreign affairs at the Times, a British publication, considered him mediocre. The president who passed progressive legislation but who saddled himself with the Monica Lewinsky scandal landed at number 23. As panelist Ben Macintyre put it, Clinton "promised so much, delivered so little and embarrassed everyone." The panel of 8 judges ranked some modern day presidents like Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush at far ends of the spectrum. And others were close: John F. Kennedy missed the top 10 by one spot and Jimmy Carter barely managed to escape the bottom 10. Click through the galleries below to see how these experts ranked American leaders and the reasons why. Further down the page you can tell us if you agree and test your knowledge with our presidential quiz. The full list is here.
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(Excerpt) Read more at news.aol.com ...
Then let's look at Dubya, ranked 37th worse in a tie with Richard M. Nixon. Yes, he did mishandle the occupation of Iraq for a time. But in the end, he prevailed, just like Lincoln did. Yes, homeland security is still not what it should be, but at the same time, he kept us safe from terrorist attacks by keeping the terrorists busy going down to defeat in Iraq, which is now emerging as a new democracy, the first positive change in the Middle East since 1967 (heh). And what's up with those quotes around the "war on terror"? Would they work to downplay "World War II," which their number 3 best president used to justify the massive internment of US citizens of Japanese descent? Finally, they bizzarely mention Dubya's approval rating at the end of his term. But their number 8 best president, Ronald Reagan, also left office with low approval ratings over Iran-Contra! Since when are approval ratings even a factor in determining the historical worth of a president?
These "experts," I suspect, are a bunch of left-leaning, ivory tower-skulking academics without an ounce of integrity between the lot of them. Dubya is in the spot more appropriate for Jimmy Carter. As for his ultimate place in history, let's wait ten years or more to find out. Such judgments are best made posthumously.
Definitely left wing, ivory tower types.
W’s main problem was his inability to communicate forcefully, and effectively. However, even then, these types wouldn’t have liked him. Perhaps they might have hated him a little less.
It’s ridiculous to judge so early, but O’Bama is certainly looking good for worst right now. What a horrible first month.
Let’s not forget Carter’s record high unemployment rate, interest rates, inflation rates, and disgraceful behavior since leaving office. While we’re at it, let’s talk about LBJ’s “war on poverty”. In brief, poverty’s alive and well. LBJ isn’t.
Worst 10: 1. Buchanan
2. Pierce
3. Van Buren
4. William Henry Harrison
5. (tie) Nixon
5. (tie) George W. Bush
7. Hoover
8. Harding
9. (tie) Garfield
10. (tie) Filmore
Of interesting note: Wilson established the Federal Reserve in his first term and led America into World War I in his second term. I would have put him in the worse 10 for those very same reasons.
W deserves his ranking. Sorry he has made a mess of everything. His bills are still arriving. For example, he signed the bill that won’t allow kids under eleven to have anything with any lead in it at all. This is a thread on FR if you would like to read.
Gee whiz. What would we have done if all those antiquated monarchist regimes had continued to beat each other bloody ‘til 1920? That War To End All Wars thing sure worked out great.
No, they would have hated him just the same ...
(To paraphrase your screename, Period. End. Of. Story.)
Lincoln would be nothing had not Thomas Jefferson come before him. Just sayin.
Why don't you read it for me , and maybe I'll learn something.
These lefty “experts” write the history books. Dubya will stay in the toilet on these lists.
Then all the European combatants in the Great War would have collapsed in bloody exhaustion, and worked out some sort of Agreement to Cease Hostilities.
No Treaty of Versailles, no economic collapse of Germany, no rise of Adolph Hitler.
I trust you can take it from there.
"The Great War" would still be known as "The Great War".
We’re still picking up leftovers from that war. Balkans? Post WWI division of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Iraq? Post WWI division of the Ottoman Empire. Israel and everyone else in the empire? Also the breakup of the Ottoman Empire with the addition of the British Balfour declaration.
Better.
It’s even worse. The U.S. military was poorly funded and poorly equipped due to Wilson’s policies, prior to asking for a Declaration of war. The solders didn’t even have helmets!
W infuriated me with his plans for immigration amnesty, his 11th-hour bailouts of financial institutions that should have gotten a mercy bullet, his failure to pardon Libby, and his inability to control spending. I don’t doubt that he’s outlawed lead pencils.
But he accomplished great things at the same time, things that O’Bama cannot even Hope! to match, and will probably Change!, i.e, sabotage. I don’t know if he deserved to be in the top 10, but he certainly didn’t deserve to be in the bottom 10, either.
That's all one needs to see to know whoever ranked the presidents were idiots. Carter was the worst US president of the modern era and quite possibly of all time.
“These lefty “experts” write the history books. Dubya will stay in the toilet on these lists.”
If that were true, Ronald Reagan would be a dirty word. Their hatred is a sure sign that Dubya will be treated better down the line.
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