C-SPAN 2009 Historian Presidential Leadership Survey

[Abraham Lincoln]

Dearest Newsbot,

I have acquired a time machine. I would like to give you this hat and my ticket to My American Cousin.

President Bush, rest easy -- six former leaders did a worse job than you.

Looking back at his eight years in office, President Bush was at times nostalgic, somber and comical
George W. Bush ranked in the bottom 10 commanders-in-chief of all time in C-Span's annual Historians Survey of Presidential Leadership, released on President's Day weekend.

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president known as the "Great Emancipator," was named the best-ever leader, while George Washington, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt and Harry Truman rounded out the top five, in that order.

Dubya placed a dismal 36th in the rankings, decided each year by a team of 65 presidential historians.

Presidents trailing behind Bush included Oval Office alcoholic Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan, whose inability to avert the Civil War landed him in last place.

Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan both advanced in the rankings to reach 15th and 10th place, respectively.

Jimmy Carter dropped three places to land at No. 25 on the list.

http://www.c-span.org/PresidentialSurve ... nking.aspx

[vynsane]

sixth from last out of 44 is still really shitty. and accurate.

[Slicker]

I don't know why they even count up so high. It would take a miracle for any president to be worse than the top...errr...bottom six. We've got one that did nothing to prevent the Civil War, one that nearly got impeached, and another who's boys pulled some shady dealin's to get good oil land.

[Diabolical]

We've got one...that nearly got impeached

Raking Bubba Clinton over the coals because of his personal life doesn't make him a bad President. I really didn't care for the guy but America was in very good shape during his tenure. His only real mistake was not taking out bin Laden when he had the chance.

[vynsane]

We've got one...that nearly got impeached

Raking Bubba Clinton over the coals because of his personal life doesn't make him a bad President. I really didn't care for the guy but America was in very good shape during his tenure. His only real mistake was not taking out bin Laden when he had the chance.

not sure he was referring to clinton. nixon wasn't actually impeached. he resigned before it could happen.

[Ran]

Carter was higher than I expected. Jefferson was too low.

Clinton was one of Time magazine's top 25 people to blame for the current economic mess. He signed a bill that got rid of one of the acts put in place after the stock market crash that lead to the Depression.