Abraham Lincoln was more influential than George Washington? Absurd! If not for George Washington (and Andrew Jackson), there would have been no Union for Lincoln to preserve.
(And slavery would eventually have died out anyway, as in Brazil.)
Or Lyndon Baines Johnson more influential than Samuel F.B. Morse and Robert E. Lee? Another obvious joke.
I could go on and on. But my chief conclusion is that we need a law against all of these meaningless journalistic "rankings" -- including but not limited to: best cities to live, leading universities and colleges, best states for raising children, top vacation spots for singles, etc. etc.
Then we learn of a person named "Lewis and Clark" -- or do they mean to say "Lewis N. Clark?" Whom did he influence?
Influence doesn't necessarily mean positive effects...we're still dealing with impacts of LBJ's policies and actions.
Absolutely. GW was a great guy, and should be rated highly. But AL held the union together--at times by almost his sheer will alone. His constant efforts to win the war--and his plan for winning the peace--have had much more of an influence on how the country has operated since.
Right or wrong--whether you agree with his positions or not--its true that without him at the helm, we would be two (or more) nations.