Arthur may have risen to the occasion in some sense, but he is still one of only two sitting presidents of less than two terms who was NOT renominated by his party (the other was Fillmore, btw). Not exactly a favourable verdict of his presidency from his colleagues, eh?
I'd rank Carter so low he wouldn't even make the list (Like #43 on the list of 42!). Even today the thought of living through Carter's Presidency sends shudders through me. JFK really doesn't belong on the list since his Presidency was cut short by his assassination. I don't know why people are so hot about LBJ, I always thought his mis-management of the Vietnam war should have ranked him just above Carter's.
I'd Rank President Reagan at least #5, though I've always had a sneaking admiration for Truman. And I'd definitely agree with more than a few of you who feel that Nixon got a "Raw Deal", and probably over time that will change. Despite his shortcomings, Nixon knew politics, especially foreign relations, and he deserves better.
Besides, he was a dying man, right? He certainly rose way above expectations, and Clinton fell way short of the mark...even for many Democrats. (I know they sing his praises now, but deep down I think many really do know how bad he was for the office and for the country.)