Historians: Six presidents worse than Bush

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Historians: Six presidents worse than Bush



Historians: Six presidents worse than Bush
Rachel Oswald
Published: Monday February 16, 2009

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Bush_not_worst_prez_ever_Hes_0216.html

Devoted Bush bashers will be surprised to learn that despite what they may think of No. 43’s presidency, according to a survey of historians, George W. Bush is in fact, not the worst POTUS ever – he’s only the 7th worst.

The honor of worst American president ever this President’s Day goes to James Buchanan, who directly preceded Abraham Lincoln as president and who is largely blamed for not doing enough to prevent the Civil War. To commemorate President’s Day, C-SPAN updated its yearly survey of historians’ rankings of past commanders-in-chief.

Not surprisingly Abraham Lincoln was ranked as the best president of all time, followed by George Washington. FDR, Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman and JFK round out the Top 5.

Among George W. Bush’s most ardent critics he is commonly referred to as the worst president ever. A USA Today/Gallup poll,conducted in mid-January this year, found only 34 percent of Americans approved of the job he was doing as president.

[Gabi Hayes]

1. Lincoln worse, because he didn't follow in Buchanan's footsteps.

states started seceding under Buchanan

Lincoln should have let them GO

then he'd have served two terms, and perhaps would have still been in office when they came crawling back, after suffering the true effects of slavery on their economic system, without the engine of the North propping them up.

dunno if I'm even being sarcastic here

[Taverner]

I think you are on to something

True, it would have kept slavery going for a while, but if they not only let the states secede and then provide safe haven for runaway slaves (like Canada), they would have gone all Mad Max. AND IT WOULD BE FUNNY!

Just like Hitler spending his honeymoon in a ditch, covered with petrol is funny

[glinda]

2. Really. Don't we know that Bush Jr. should be dead last?????

[Bonn1997]

3. Any Chance James Buchannan and Pat Buchannan Are Related?

It would explain a lot.

[Stevenmarc]

4. I'm sure after all the dust has settled W. will find his rightful place at the bottom

[spanone]

5. that should be on junior*s headstone....'not the worst-but damned close'

[AzDar]

6. Oh. HELL NO.

No other President has:


Lied us into war.


Trampled the Constitution.


Tortured.


Wrecked the Economy.


Allowed us to be attacked due to either complicity or negligence.



None.

He's THE WORST.

[SteelPenguin]

7. Sorry but I have to disagree

Buchanan did all those, and worse. He wrecked the economy almost identically to Bush by lowering taxes/tariffs and pushing deficit spending. He gridlocked the country for four years by vetoing nearly every bill that came across his desk. He let states secede from the Union, attack kill and capture federal troops, land, and property and didn't do a thing about it, in fact claimed he couldn't. Openly bribed people for votes on legislation he liked with promises of political appointments and flat out cash for votes. Used federal troops to kill and suppress americans on our own soil. And more...Look him up.

I'd put Bush top five, but Buchanan I think should be seen unquestionably as the worst. He literally tore our country apart.

[The_Commonist]

10. Yeah, I have to disagree too.

All of those things happened under at least one other president:

Lied us into war.
(Mexican-American War, Spanish-American War, Gulf of Tonkin)


Trampled the Constitution.
(Alien and Sedition Acts, suspending Habeus Corpus - and that was done by our "greatest" president. See? even the angels can do wrong.)


Tortured.
(Philippine War, and we certainly tortured people in Vietnam, etc.)


Wrecked the Economy.
(They were called Hoovervilles)


Allowed us to be attacked due to either complicity or negligence.
(there are still questions surrounding Pearl Harbor)

That's just all off the top of my head...

[AzDar]

12. Well, the point I was making was that no other * single * President had compiled such a list.

And... we tortured people in Vietnam?
:o

[Odin2005]

14. Actually, the Constitution allows the suspension of Habeas Corpus during rebellion or invasion.

So that can't be put against Abe. Was he right to have done it? I don't know, not an expert on the time period.

[anonymous171]

16. That's why Bush needed a perpetual war. Thus the "War on Terror" was born.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

15. I always like to say.......

"No, Bush was not the worst.......after all, Buchanan was a traitor." in a straight matter-of-fact delivery.

I think it's more of a shot at Chimpy than to just say he's the worst.

[Orsino]

8. Well, if one limits one's focus to a number of Americans who died...

...as a direct result of policy failures, I suppose * might not look like the worst ever.

That's a narrow focus, though.

[santamargarita]

9. I wonder where he's at on the list of asshole dictators?

He may not be #1, but he would make the list!

[tomg]

11. Actually, there are a range of categories in

which they are rated. In international relations he is ranked 41st ( just ahead of William Henry Harrison who was in office for a month before he died) and in economic management he comes in at 40 ( just ahead of Herbert Hoover and James Buchanan). Kind of big categories to screw up in. Sort of like "He was an axe murderer, but he sent his mom flowers on mothers day, so we have to give him something for that."

His highest ranking is 24 in "Pursued Equal Justice for All." Which looks pretty decent ( if by "all" you mean bankers and the wealthy and by 'equal" you mean plutocracy), until you remember that for the first 15 presidents we had slavery (11 of whom are after him), for three more we were will still practicing genocide against Native people.What jacks Bozos number up are things like "Vision/ Setting an Agenda" where he weighs in at 25 - legitimate enough if "Setting an Agenda" can be interpreted as "Driving the Country over a cliff."

I think the most hilarious is "Moral Leadership." He gets a 35 and it is the only category where he beats Clinton - but barely - who comes in at a 37. Torture not really okay, but still better than a blow job. What a fucked up country. Nice to see Nixon at 41 on this, though.

edit: typo

[steelmania75]

13. BS. Can't you see how he's disgraced the White House? The historians are being too nice