[Eleutheria5]

These "experts," it seems, can't even be consistent, let alone honest. Abraham Lincoln was Prez Numero Uno because he finally prevailed in the civil war, after mishandling it for five years. Grant, in one battle, lost more men in one day of fighting than we lost in five years of fighting in Iraq. The generals he employed sent the Union armies out to defeat after defeat, lied to the public, and allowed their procurement system to become riddled with corruption and theft. Had Sherman not sacked Atlanta in October of 1864, Lincoln would not have been reelected, and the Union would have negotiated an unpalatable armistice with the Confederacy. As for civil rights, what part of "suspended habaeus corpus" don't these "experts" get? Oh, and isn't having your generals burn a city and several regions to the ground count as a war crime?

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.

[JimC214]

Apparently Carter and LBJ were just peachy keen. One mismanaged the Vietnam war. were we lost more then 10 times what we have lost in Iraq. And the other emboldened terrorists and dictators.

[period end of story]

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.

[Rastus]

It’s ridiculous to judge so early, but O’Bama is certainly looking good for worst right now. What a horrible first month.

[KarlInOhio]

Top 10:
1. Lincoln
2. Washington
3. Franklin Roosevelt
4. Jefferson
5. Theodore Roosevelt
6. Eisenhower
7. Truman
8. Reagan
9. Polk
10. Wilson

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.

[quantim]

Lincoln would be nothing had not Thomas Jefferson come before him. Just sayin.

[Anti-Bubba182]

These lefty “experts” write the history books. Dubya will stay in the toilet on these lists.

[highlander_UW]

Jimmy Carter barely managed to escape the bottom 10

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.

[Aroostook25]

Half of their Top Ten should be in the Bottom Ten.

[Righting]

Jimmy Carter barely managed to escape the bottom

He is my "favorite" WORST prez.

[americanophile]

These ‘expert’ lists. Silly. Any list that doesn’t put Washington in the No. 1 spot is unrealistic in my opinion, but it’s downhill from there FDR at #3? Woodrow Wilson in the top 10???????

[exhaustedmomma]

Worst Pres = Harrison (too stupid to come in out of the rain)Then...Sam Grant and Andrew Jackson (who I personally think BO is immulating) ... followed by Jimmy Carter & LBJ. FDR --- typical rat; last term spells out exactly who, what and why he was a bottom-feeding looser.

No way George Washington wasn't #1. There wouldn't have been anymore if he hadn't held it together.

[JLS]

Yawn another trite ranking of presidents. You did a good job criticizing it. There are really too many inconsistencies to even list them all.

[JillValentine]

My rankings (for them all!):

1. Washington
2. Lincoln
3. Reagan
4. Jefferson
5. T. Roosevelt
6. Eisenhower
7. Monroe
8. Polk
9. McKinley
10. Arthur
11. Truman
12. J.Q. Adams
13. Jackson
14. Madison
15. J. Adams
16. Bush II
17. Grant
18. Hayes
19. Tyler
20. Bush I
21. Van Buren
22. Coolidge
23. Taylor
24. Kennedy
25. Garfield
26. W.H. Harrison
27. Nixon
28. Cleveland
29. Hoover
30. Taft
31. Ford
32. B. Harrison
33. A. Johnson
34. Harding
35. Fillmore
36. Pierce
37. Buchanan
38. Wilson
39. FDR
40. LBJ
41. Clinton
42. Carter
43. Obama

[Richard Kimball]

Agree on swapping Carter and Bush. I would have ranked Reagan higher than Eisenhower, who didn't do much during his presidency. Wilson should have been in the bottom ten. Garfield was assassinated four months into his administration. WTF? They blamed the guy for getting shot? Actually, I would have ranked Reagan only behind Washington and Jefferson, with Theodore Roosevelt at number 4. Lincoln was a man of great courage, but not, I think, a great President. Actually, no one knows what Lincoln would have liked to have done. He never got to implement a policy about anything except the Civil War. He would have preferred the South not secede, and would have allowed the slave states to remain so.

[DuncanWaring]

As a general question, did George Washington really do anything spectacular as President, other than setting a precedent for serving only two terms?

I’d certainly agree that in fighting and winning the Revolutionary War, he deserves the title “Greatest American”.

[SMCC1]

I think the most overrated are Kennedy and FDR
The most underrated are Polk and Coolidge

[donmeaker]

These experts can’t get simple facts right. FDR was not reelected 4 times. He was elected, then reelected.

They blame Hoover for the Great Depression. The rest of the world only had a depression. FDR made the Depression great.

Nixon didn’t cover up the burgulary. Rather, John Dean sent the plumbers in to get paperwork that implicated his wife as a prostitute. The plumbers were a national asset that legally gathered intelligence, on the authority of the President. John Dean then had the gall to blame Nixon for the burgularly that Dean ordered. ‘Silent Coup’....

[Still Thinking]

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.

Uh, yes it is. I rank him right "up" there with FDR. "Federalism??? We don't need no steenkin' federalism!"

[WoofDog123]

95% of americans cannot name 10 american presidents, much less 20, unless they cheat and use the new dollar coins and various bills to name them. Presumnably Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton will be named some. I guess not many will name Samuel Chase erroneously.

I suspect not 5% of freepers (or less) have the knowledge base to make intelligent, detailed comments about 20 different presidents. I know I don’t (I may have had the useful knowledge at some point, but the memory hole is organic and grows each year).

[paulycy]

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.

Obama seems to be the president who will blow the nation apart when it is on the brink of collapse.

Best, worst, I don't really know, but Obama could be the Anti-Lincoln soon.