thought this would be an interesting topic.

Reagan did more positive and more negative than any of the others. Overall, I placed him slightly head of a couple others.

As of right now, its a close call, but I'd give a nod to Clinton just over HW. Obama doesn't have enough record yet to make any sort of determination. Heck, even W is still somewhat in question. Of the completed presidencies, I'd say:

 

Clinton

HW

Reagan

Carter

W

 

Obama yet to be determined.

 

Damn I was hoping this would be more historical.

 

How about 1840-1860? *there is only one right answer for this*

Bush 41 probably would've been the best if he hadn't backed himself into a corner and ran out of gas against Clinton. As it stands, total net positive effect, has to be Clinton. For those who still insist that "Reagan won the Cold War" if you grant him this then you need to acknowledge the severe blowback the U.S. support in the Soviet-Afghan war caused (this was Carter's guy Zbigniew Brzezinski's idea though). It's pure irony that we wanted to prolong the Soviet presence in Afghanistan and we are going to end up there even longer.

Edited September 22, 200916 yr by lostfan

1. Clinton

2. HW

3. Dubya

4. Carter

5. Reagan

 

It's pretty hard to determine Obama at this point.

Bush 41 probably would've been the best if he hadn't backed himself into a corner and ran out of gas against Clinton.

 

Bush 41 has grown much more favorably, as I've said before. I have mucho respect for how pragmatic he was at governing, and unfortunately for him he signed a bill that raised taxes, but also helped lead to the balanced budgets of the 90s.

How about that time he pulled out of Iraq because the initial mission had been accomplished and occupation of the country would've been difficult/impossible?

How about that time he pulled out of Iraq because the initial mission had been accomplished and occupation of the country would've been difficult/impossible?

Yeah, he was pressured by some to take over Iraq to oust Saddam. And he said, something to the effect of, the US does not want to own Iraq.

 

Daddy knows best.

 

Yeah, he was pressured by some to take over Iraq to oust Saddam. And he said, something to the effect of, the US does not want to own Iraq.

 

Daddy knows best.

 

i don't listen to my Father either.

Well that and the UN/allied nations didn't want him to.

 

Bush knew strategy and understood long-term plans, he was a former CIA professional/diplomat. Reading about his decision-making it didn't seem like he was the type of president who would be led around by advisors all the time.

Edited September 22, 200916 yr by lostfan

Well that and the UN/allied nations didn't want him to.

That didn't stop his son, now, did it?

 

Dubya wasn't a very good president, but he was probably dealt the worst deck of anyone in a long time. He also had a base that demanded he cradle the balls of Reagan's policies... not good.

Well that and the UN/allied nations didn't want him to.

 

WEll yeah. The UN/allied nations didn't really seem to be gung ho about Iraq pt. II.

 

God I can't wait until we get out of Iraq/Afghanistan. What a waste of money and brave people.

Dubya wasn't a very good president, but he was probably dealt the worst deck of anyone in a long time. He also had a base that demanded he cradle the balls of Reagan's policies... not good.

I disagree. He was handed political gold. 9/11 was an awful hand dealt the nation, but it was politically huge for W - huge support in every way. He managed to do next to nothing useful with that political capital. He was a terrible President, in my current view (time can sometimes change that).

 

Dubya wasn't a very good president, but he was probably dealt the worst deck of anyone in a long time. He also had a base that demanded he cradle the balls of Reagan's policies... not good.

 

But...you are the company you keep...and as far as personnel around him I can't think of a worst top to bottom administration in my lifetime.

 

Even the ones that seemed promising (Cheney) turned f'n crazy after 9/11.

America was feeling like giant losers on the heels of Vietnam, Nixon, Ford, and being held hostage by Iran. Reagan came in, literally wearing a western hat and riding tall in the saddle like a cowboy, and made made America believe we could kick ass again. #1 feat of any President since I can remember. And for that I ranked him #1.

 

He also taught both parties to spend, spend, spend. Started the anti-judiciary and anti-journalism movements for the GOP.

 

Carter is far underrated for getting all the hostages back alive. Today, they would have been dead.

WEll yeah. The UN/allied nations didn't really seem to be gung ho about Iraq pt. II.

 

God I can't wait until we get out of Iraq/Afghanistan. What a waste of money and brave people.

Those are two entirely different animals you just lumped together.

 

That didn't stop his son, now, did it?

 

 

WEll yeah. The UN/allied nations didn't really seem to be gung ho about Iraq pt. II.

 

God I can't wait until we get out of Iraq/Afghanistan. What a waste of money and brave people.

+1 for HW again. Going with international sentiment and trying to scale back the pace of a growing US empire.

Those are two entirely different animals you just lumped together.

Don't tell John McCain that

But...you are the company you keep...and as far as personnel around him I can't think of a worst top to bottom administration in my lifetime.

 

Even the ones that seemed promising (Cheney) turned f'n crazy after 9/11.

Yeah, I've pointed out in here before, Cheney snapped on 9/11. He went from a calculated and realist conservative to bats*** crazy almost instantly.

 

Those are two entirely different animals you just lumped together.

Not really I'm saying I can't wait for the US to get out of the two major military operations going on right now that serve no benefit to the itself.

I disagree. He was handed political gold. 9/11 was an awful hand dealt the nation, but it was politically huge for W - huge support in every way. He managed to do next to nothing useful with that political capital. He was a terrible President, in my current view (time can sometimes change that).

Yeah but the effects of 9/11 (credit crisis, the wars, domestic liberties) were more than enough to overwhelm patriotism-induced ratings.

Dubya wasn't a very good president, but he was probably dealt the worst deck of anyone in a long time. He also had a base that demanded he cradle the balls of Reagan's policies... not good.

OTOH...so many of those things that you could say were a part of "Dealt a terrible deck" are things that his administration could have prevented or made much less severe. 9/11 could have been stopped by either his folks or the Clinton folks months in advance. Katrina could have been prevented if we'd spent some money on retrofitting. The response to Katrina could have been a thousand times better; hell the botched response to Andrew by his father was a major injury to Bush1. Iraq was a debacle of their own choosing. Afghanistan became a debacle because they chose Iraq. The economic crisis grew out of policies that either he supported or that he did nothing to fix.

Yeah but the effects of 9/11 (credit crisis, the wars, domestic liberties) were more than enough to overwhelm patriotism-induced ratings.

9/11 caused the credit crisis? That's interesting, haven't seen that before.

 

And I think you are missing that "the wars" are, again, political gold, AT FIRST. Wartime Presidents are bulletproof usually. Iraq didn't become an albatross until the majority of the nation figured out it wasn't a cake walk, which unfortunately just started happening right before the 2004 election.