Posted on 02/20/2006 11:01:16 AM PST by RightCanuck
Today is Presidents Day. A holiday originally intended to honor George Washington (and in some states Abraham Lincoln), Presidents Day has degenerated into just another day off for government employees and an excuse for large retailers to hold sales.
More destructive to our national consciousness, it has become a day that purports to celebrate all presidents equally, the dismal failures along with the towering giants. Perhaps this is why hardly any celebration occurs at all. This is a shame, because the truly great men who have led this nation throughout our history deserve the American peoples most heartfelt thanks for a job well done.
There have been several presidents who have earned the appellation great for the leadership and vision they demonstrated during their service in the White House, including Thomas Jefferson, James K. Polk, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and George W. Bush (still a work in progress). Today, however, we must honor three presidents above all others: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Ronald Reagan. Each of these men led the United States through a period of deep national crisis, and each time the nation emerged stronger, freer, and more committed to its founding ideals.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
I pulled out my flamethrower when I noticed the absence of Reagan in the first list, then put it away when I saw his name in the second list.
MegaDitto`s !
Abe Lincoln invaded the South and suspended habeas corpus. For those sins he must be eternally damned.
Hey, did someone forget to mention Clinton? He was, after all, the first black president.
For Best Presidents, I would have to nominate Chester A. Arthur (enacted the first general Federal immigration law. Arthur approved a measure in 1882 excluding paupers, criminals, and lunatics), William Henry Harrison (only a couple months in office couldnt mess things up) and Ronald Reagan (for his contribution to the collapse of communism and the end of the Cold War).
Only one of these leaders saw fit to wage war against the states of this Republic.
I can tell you that Carter and Clinton are the worst presidents that this world has ever seen....carter couldn't do anything without Ms. Lillian's permission....clinton couldn't do anything with his pants zipped up.....
It totally sucks that on President's Day, Washington, Reagan have to share the honor with the like of Jimmy Carter and LBJ.
Let's see. When I was a child, Abraham Lincoln's birthday was February 12 and George Washington's was February 22. Two of our greats, one day (3-day weekend) to celebrate. Less filling, imo.
Why is Kennedy on the list? Other than giving a few inspirational speeches, what did he do that was noteworthy, apart from his foreign-policy screwups and not getting us into WWIII?
Actually, the South declared it's independence, and requested the North to vacate their forts in the South. When they refused, they were fired on.
On a completely unrelated note, how the heck did JFK make the list? When reading the history books, I can't see much that he actually did. The philandering, makeup-wearing ponce owes more to the mystique of the Kennedys than to anything he ever did.
The modern US Navy also began to take shape during the Arthur administration.
I, too, like Calvin Coolidge--the last president to see himself as a chief magistrate as opposed to an elected king.
We remember him for facing Khruschev down in the Cuban Missile Crisis. In fact, we gave up missiles in Turkey in trade for the missiles in Cuba. Kennedy totaly screwed the Cuban Brigade in the Bay of Pigs invasion by withdrawing air support that was promised. He did this after they were on the beach.
Kennedy's camelot would never survive if scrutinized at the same level that W experiences today (Although we know it would never happen). We saw him take nepotism to a level that would never be tolerated today, when he appointed his brother Bobbie as Attorney General.
We now know Kennedy had Addison's disease, a fatal disorder. We now know he was a drug addicted womanizer. These facts were completely concealed from the public by a incompetent or complicit press.
The main reason he got a "pass" on all this was Jackie. The public and press were starry eyed over her grace and charm then her martyred heroine status. His memory was untouchable as long as she was alive.
Calvin Coolidge. Absolutely. He was the one who said
that he was proud of his administration mainly because
he minded his own business.
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