[churchillbuff]

I don't see Polk on your list. Polk was a superstar--he should have at least made it into your top 10!"""

Polk was a pro-slavery Democrat. Not my cup of tea.

[Cyclopean Squid]

I can understand your aversion, but I think it a mistake to dismiss out of hand every president who harbored pro-slavery viewpoints. Polk's policies resulted in the spread of American civilization to vast tracts of untouched land. Over time, the practices of America came more and more into alignment with its inherent ideals. In this way, Polk is deserving of extending the American dream to the lands of the Southwest and the West. He, like all great men, was a flawed hero. His faults only serve to make his triumphs greater, for they remind us he was but a mortal and can be emulated.

I often think that many have potential greatness in them but do not pursue it out of modesty or timidity. This might be attributable to the tendency to write hagiography instead of biography on history's great men.