On this President’s Day, let us open the comment lines to one of the most commonly debated parts of American history. Who was our finest leader? Was is Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, who kept this nation together and ended the wicked institution of slavery? Was it Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a Democrat, who guided the nation through the Great Depression and World War II?
What about the worst ever? Before he’s even left office, George W. Bush has been labeled by many as the worst president ever, having overseen an economy shift from record surpluses to record deficits; being M.I.A. in the hours following the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil; still — over 6 years later — being unable to capture the man responsible for those attacks; whose administration was unable to get food and water to Americans stranded on rooftops after the City of New Orleans was destroyed by flooding… the list goes on. But is W really the worst?
What about Warren G. Harding, who once confessed “I am not fit for this office and never should have been here”? What about Franklin Pierce or James Buchanan? Both of these oft-forgotten presidents failed to prevent the nation from splitting apart in civil war.
What about Richard Nixon, who single-handedly shattered the American idealism of the presidency? Or Jimmy Carter, whose idealism butted heads with the reality of global politics?
So who is the best and the worst of men to ever lead this nation?
February 18th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Best - Jimmy Carter (charity begins at home, he didn’t do well around the world, but he focused on domestic problems)
Worst - LBJ (his part in the coverup of the JFK assassination)
February 18th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Best - Warren G. Harding
Worst - Woodrow Wilson
February 18th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Yes but LBJ got the Civil Rights Act Passed.
The worst presidents, in my opinion, are Harding and Nixon. George W in a close third.
February 18th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Worst: Harry Truman, for using the atomic bomb and setting off fifty years of a worldwide arms race.
February 18th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
George Bush has to be the worse, he has buried us in a costly war America didn’t need, a war of choice. The economy is in shambles after he took it over with surpluses. Citizens privacy is a thing of the past. Meanwhile all of his friends have made millions and billions of dollars.
Nixon was a paranoid crook, but at least he didn’t run America into the ground.
Lincoln would be one of the best for the courage to stand up to the south and slavery. Franklin D Roosevelt for creating the New Deal to pull America out of the depression and then leading America towards winning World War II.
February 18th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
George (Dummy) Bush has got to be the worst leader,ever ,in the history of mankind! Mission accccomplished,and thousands of American soldiers have been killed since his declaration of victory in Iraq!
February 18th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Best Domestic Policy: Teddy Roosevelt (trustbusting and conservation)
Worst Domestic Policy: Ronald Regan (bankrupting the American govt in more ways than one)
Best Foreign Policy: FDR or Wilson (visionary internationalism)
Worst Foreign Policy: G.W. Bush (visionary unilateralism)
February 19th, 2008 at 1:07 am
Best Presidents (”Best” does not mean perfect): Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson
Worst Presidents: James Buchanan, George W. Bush, Richard Nixon, Herbert Hoover
Presidents whom I admire but I don’t think are “great”: Harry S Truman, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, William J. Clinton
Presidents whom I dislike and think are “bad” too: Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Calvin Coolidge, Warren G. Harding, William McKinley
Presidents who I would’ve put in the “Great” category but for some major … and I mean MAJOR flaws: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Andrew Jackson
February 19th, 2008 at 8:32 am
(Day late and a buck short but:)
Top Four
1) Lincoln, 2) FDR, 3) Jefferson, 4) Truman
Bottom Four
43) Nixon, 42) GW Bush, 41) Hoover, 40) Coolidge
(I know that’s kind of a high ranking for Truman, but: a) I’m a bit parochial and b) I really think the Marshall Plan, and Truman Doctrine won the Cold War)
February 19th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
the Bush’s did more dirt before they ever got into the white house
Worst, Nancy ReaGUN, for soliciting soothsayers and psychics to determine what senile Ronny should do
February 27th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Best—Harry Truman for using the Atomic Bomb, causing the world to restrain itself for more than 60 years after witnessing the genuine horror of nuclear weapons. (It also saved American lives).
February 27th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
“Tricky Dick” for sure!
and George Washington for voluntarily (without armed rebellion) giving up power peacefully and setting a noble tradition…last demonstrated by Al Gore.
March 1st, 2008 at 2:59 pm
In my opinoin I belive that in some cases Abraham Lincoln, is given to much credit than really earned. First, in his campain he promised to keep slavery in the south and let there be free states up north, so, Abraham Lincolon did not truly belive that slavery was terrible. However in his defense, he was a great leader during the civil war. To answer the question who is the best presidet, I would have to say FDR or Harry S. Truman. fDR for being a strong leader during WW11 and the great depression, Harry S. Truman for being smart and taking stands and also ending WW11. The worst presidents are the idiot in office as of now and John Adams even though a founding father he limited our freedoms while in office. Some of the other terrible presidents are Andrew Jackson for the trail of tears and LBJ, nixon, and Harding for all the scandalls while in office.
March 15th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Lincoln was the best, he led us through the Civil War - no one else had a challenge like that
George W. Bush is the worst, he ruined our atnding in the world by waging pre-emptive war
May 7th, 2008 at 11:45 am
fdr is the worst for not understanding economics and putting the u.s. in line with socialism. it’s only gotten worse from then on.
May 13th, 2008 at 8:31 am
Abraham has to be one of the best because he stop slavery. led us all the way through the civil war no matter how hard it was for him.
JFK brought money to this country.
Clinton was also a good president. He did help us even though he made some mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes.
Harry Truman was a good man by ending WW2. There were some really good presidents but I’m not going to name them all.
The worst would be George Bush because he still hasn’t brought the troops back from the war. We are goin bankrupt in a way.
Also another bad president would have to be Richard Nixon because he tapped all the phone lines where he can here people having communications. Richard Nixon did a crime. There you go.
May 13th, 2008 at 8:32 am
Franklin Roosevelt was also a ggod president because he helped people through The Great Depression.