Posted on 02/12/2007 6:33:02 AM PST by presidio9
A question that seems to be on everybody's mind these days turns out to be: Is George Bush the worst President in American history?
But how do you judge? Is he the most morally disgusting? The worst mangler of the English language? Ever since the atom bomb was dropped, we've had a whole string of bozos who cannot pronounce the word "nuclear." How much should that count against them?
Is John Tyler, our tenth President, a candidate for worst President? Some people who have never heard of this guy have heard of the campaign slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too." Well, Tippecanoe (William Henry Harrison) lasted about a month in office before he died of a cold contracted while making his inaugural address, and the rest is non-history. Tyler is best remembered, if he is remembered at all, as the President whose entire Cabinet, save one, quit on him. Please do not confuse him with Zachary Taylor, the twelfth President, easily Tyler's equal in forgettability.
Is the most forgettable also the worst? Men like Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce and Benjamin Harrison (Tippecanoe's grandson) were more politically brain-dead than really bad. But not so with James Buchanan, No. 15, who was President from 1857 to 1861. Aside from being a dull, unimaginative, dray horse of a politician, he was the President whose cowardice in handling the South and slavery ended the remotest possibility that the United States would be spared the horrors of the Civil War.
The consequences of Buchanan's political poltroonery were long-lasting and dire, as contrasted with those of Warren Harding. Harding (No. 29) has won many Worst President contests because he had three or four truly stinky crooks in his administration to go along with an otherwise outstanding Cabinet. He was a slob with a drinking problem, and he was also afflicted with Bill Clinton's zipper disease. Since booze was illegal when he was President (1921-23), getting smashed in the White House made him a not-so-great role model — not that much of the country was paying attention since all the other adults in America were doing the same thing at the local speakeasy.
There is a great story about Harding in the closet making boom-boom with his girlfriend, and of his wife being restrained by the Secret Service guys from rushing in and exposing the President in the flagrantest of delictos. But worst President? Not so much.
Others proposed for the worst list include Herbert Hoover, James Madison, Ulysses Grant and Richard Nixon.
Hoover, Democratic propaganda to the contrary, did not cause the Great Depression nor was he indifferent to his people's sufferings. A brilliant, decent man, he was absolutely the unluckiest President.
Madison, the fourth President, justly called the Father of the Constitution, fits anyone's description of a great man, but he loused up the presidency by going to war against England in 1812 with no Army and not much more of a Navy. His foreign policies were so hated in New England that the young federal republic he had done so much to start almost blew apart. Worse was to come. Madison could do nothing when the Brits occupied Washington, D.C., and burned down the White House. But in the long run the consequences of his mistakes were minor, so he cannot have the "worst prexy" horse collar put around his neck.
Grant was too noble a man to be the worst anything. He had some crooks in his administration, but, like Harding, he had nothing to do with their corruption. On the plus side, he was the last President until Lyndon Johnson who would go to bat for black people.
As for Nixon, it's still too early to tell. Too many people still living hate him or love him. The decision on that strange, baggy-faced man belongs to Gen X and beyond.
Which brings us to Bush II. It's also too early to tell, but if first signs mean anything, he has got a lot to answer for. We know he is responsible for the death of a lot of people who never hurt him or us. We wonder if he has so disturbed the entire Middle East quadrant of the globe that years and years may pass while the people there and the people here suffer for what he has done. Will we get habeas corpus back? Will the thumb screw become standard operating procedure, or will it be returned to the Middle Ages whence George Bush found it?
One of the criteria for being worst is how much lasting damage the President did. Buchanan, for instance, did more than words can convey. With Bush II the reckoning is yet to be made.
Drivel.
What about Jimmy "Killer Rabbit" Carter? Actually Carter is a proveable bad POTUS to even the loonie left. How so? Well, all you have to do is point to the "fireside chats" to make your point. Yes, Carter did sinfully and menacingly torture and burn the remains of the silent sentinal of nature - Trees. He did so openly, showing all his disdain and hatred for the most beautiful of all plants. It doesn't matter that species of wood he used, thought the eco-warriors of the day likely would have been less offended if Carter was white pine. If he had dared to have used spanish cedar he would have been impeached. Yes, Carter is the king of the hill, not because of he horrid economic policies, nor because of his clowish attempts at foriegn policy, not...he dared to burn the flesh of sacred and beloved wood. THAT is why one day, while Carter was daring to too secretly attempt to torture and murder poor innocent freshwater fish, nature sent an assassin to deal with him, the killer rabbit. Yes, we now know the shame of the Left in this country. They have covered it up far better than Nixon coverd up Watergate. but now we know...that deep down the Left knows that Carter IS the worst President ever....killing and incinerating innocent tress on national television in the guise of "chatting" with the sheep known as the American people.
We are in total agreement. There are times though, when I feel El-BJ surpasses Carter because LBJ was a more effective politician.
Bill Clinton is not the worst President but he is the worst man to be the President ever.
You forgot Bush had to deal with the biased media and the traitorious "Leftist opposition" that would rather have us to lose to the Islamofascists just to prove Bush "wrong".
Abraham Lincoln.
The Republican united in opposition against ex-President Clinton were probably more effective than they were in 2000s when they had control (nominal) of all three branches of government.
Biggest jackass on FR: Natural Law.
"Biggest jackass on FR: Natural Law."
Now THAT'S funny. Great post, bravo!
We should had continued to use the CIA in that time.
Then in the '80s, Iran would had started to gradually open up and start on a road to Democracy.
Thanks to President Carter, now we may have to deal with a nuclear Islamofascist Iran which means that a war is inevitable even if we are being the appeasers at the moment. Even if we give them Iraq, Iran won't end right there. It'll only make the beast hungrier.
FDR was just a tad before my time. ;-)
I dunno consider F D Roosveldt & L B Johnson
They pale in comparison with Carter. Not that they were the best but we are even now reaping Jimmah's bitter harvest.
Carter was the worst, and he put the blame on the country (malaise) instead of himself
Even if they don't consider Carter the very worst, when the article didn't even mention him as a contender it lost all credibility with me.
Why is everyone glossing over the Bold strokes Carter used in containing the spread of Soviet expansionism in Afghanistan???
HUH!
HUH!
WHY?
He stopped them cold by not letting our athletes go to the Olympics in Moscow.
Heh Heh!
With Clinton .. the damage continues to this day .. will it ever stop ..??
Carter and Clinton get my nod for TWO OF THE WORST.
And .. I don't see any record of either of them rescuing 50 MILLION PEOPLE from a dictator.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.