I'd throw Truman in the top 10, if not top 5. Though people thought he stunk when he was in office, looking back, a lot of smart people think he was ahead of his time. Plus, he's from Missouri.

Gotta agree with Mike, danny. Ya gotta put Truman in there...at least ahead of John F. Kennedy...who historians generally rank as the most overrated President. However, as discussed over at Voter Vault, I don't necessary believe that historians are correct in their rankings. JFK, we needed more time with him, but he was pretty good.

I would put Washington ahead of Lincoln though.

Why Washington at number 1? First doesn't always mean best. And if he does get the number one spot, shouldn't some of the credit go to guys like Jefferson and Franklin?

Well put, Danny. It reminds me of the way Kurt Vonnegut puts it in Timequake:

In chapter 2 of this wonderful book of mine, I mention a commemoration in the chapel of the University of Chicago of the fiftieth anniversary of the atom-bombing of Hiroshima. I said at the time that I had to respect the opinion of my friend William Styron that the Hiroshima bomb saved his life. Styron was then a United States Marine, training for an invasion of the Japanese Home islands, when that bomb was dropped.

I had to add, though, that I knew a single word that proved our democratic government was capable of committing obscene, gleefully rabid and racist, yahooistic murder of unarmed men, women, and children, murders wholly devoid of military common sense. I said the word. It was a foreign word. That word was Nagasaki.

Washington at number one, because without him, no country would exist for Lincoln to save. Plus, Washington could have screwed up our country by becoming king (which they would have let him do). Imagine having Dubya, or any past President for that matter, as a king, rather than President....yikes! We need checks and balances, and we can thank Washington for setting a precedence of maintaining them.

As for Franklin and Jefferson, they did well, but I'm referring to 1789-1797, GW's actual presidency, after all it's a question of the best President. Franklin was basically dead by this point, and Jefferson was too busy arguing with Hamilton.

As for Truman, danny, if you take him out of the top 5 because of the atomic bombs, you have to take out FDR from the top 5 too, due to the completely unnecessary firebombing of Dresden. This bombing killed anywhere from 30,000 to 150,000, mostly civilians. Fat Boy killed 80,000 Japanese.

My point is, the situation/scenario is the same, just with different countries, and the lack of an actual atomic bomb. Germany was not going to win this war...that was clear. FDR did not have to order the Air Force and RAF to bomb it.

Throw in Japanese internment camps, and you gonna take FDR out of the top five if you take Truman out, especially if you're basing it on the negative effects on civilians, whether it be death, injury, or displacement.

Lots of overrated presidents in your top 5. I'm not saying they're bad, but not top 5.

Jefferson as president: if you look beyond the Louisiana Purchase he made some dumb decisions. And owned slaves until the day he died.

Kennedy: If he wasn't handsome, had a hot wife, and was murdered, he wouldn't be held in such reverence. What his father did to get him elected is simply mind-bending. His great achievement: Civil Rights.
Space program? In his private tapes he said the space program was just a gimmick.
Cuban Missile Crisis? A great act of dipolomacy necessary because he screwed up with the Bag of Pigs.

FDR: Stepped on the Constitution. He did NOT solve the Depression, WW2 did that. He LIED to the American people about entering the war.

Other overrated:
Woodrow Wilson: Prohibition? The WORST Amendment in US history. Racist.

THE BEST
Washington and Lincoln


Underrated:
James K Polk
James Monroe

American casualties alone were projected at 500,000 and the Japanese didn't surrender after we dropped the first bomb.

who cares?

You may want to reconsider your negative comments about Kennedy and Vietnam. Please consider that it was KENNEDY who order Robert McNamara to REMOVE our troops from Vietnam after the 1964 election. McNamara's comments are in the Erol Morris documentary,"The Fog of War". Also Kennedy want to disband the CIA which has put so many dictators in power. The Shah of Iran, Saddam Hussein, Marcos, Allede and dozens of others. Imagine how much peace we might have without them. Some speculate that was the reason for the assassination and people close to Johnson who was desperate to become president have confirmed that. Howard Hunt and Madeilene Brown are a couple. Also recall that it was not Johnson's money who paid for the welfare programs or civil rights programs that he supported. He privately made comments opposing both. Also the war in Vietnam officially began under Johnson after the Tonkin Gulf resolution in 1964.

Those that fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.

please kennedy was a decent president at best he happened to be shot that is why he is revered and becasue his mistress was marylon monroe teddy rosevelt should def be top five he carved the way into the progressive era and environmentalism as well as making our nation a world power and actually causualties for the invasion of Japan were estimated at around a million

Any mention of a top five list without Teddy Roosevelt is incomplete. Kennedy, while I really like him, doesn't belong in the top five. Polk deserves a place there.

Please, please, please put Bush on the worst list asap... Nothing good is going to turn around in Iraq, as you commented on. He just gets less intelligent on a daily basis.

You must be kidding! George W. has to be THE WORST! He's screwed up everything. I'm conservative and at least I have the nerve to admit I made a mistake!

Kennedy certainly doesn't belong in the top 5. Has everyone forgotten how badly he managed the Cuban missle crisis, not to mention he was cheating on his wife. Regan, however does belong in the top 5 considering he helped end the cold war with Russia, helped tear down the wall in Berlin and survived an assignation attempt.

Jimmy Carter should be on the bottom, for as I see him as most do nothing pres

Bill Clinton is one of the best ..he done great thing for the buget and all..

Geo. W bush is the sorriest this countrey has ever had...

When was Franklin ever president?

Truman was faced with more important decisions than any other [president. He was honest and free of scandal.
JFK" enough already! He was immature and very overrated. He wasted his chance. Fine speaker. But could not hold his own with foreign leaders. Acted like a fool regarding Bay of Pigs. I would put him closer to the bottom of the list. He probably got laid more than any other president. Nixon always got the worst treatment by the press, the press covered for JFK. JFK affiliations with mafia characters would be enough to sink JFK. But the press is enamored with his history. What a shame.

Lincoln and Washington HANDS DOWN as the two best... Worst, you gotta put Jimmy Carter in there for tearing apart our military and national defense, Bill Clinton has the morals of a rabbit, should have been indicted for all the people that ended up dead surrounding Whitewater, Kennedy wasn't a good president.... his daddy bought him that election, and he was almost as immoral as Clinton.

Ronald Reagan is the most overrated president in US History. He should be somewhere between 25th and 30th best.


Top 5 are

Lincoln
FDR
Washington
Jefferson
T. Roosevelt

Worst - George W. Bush
runners up for worst: Harding
Buchanan
Grant
Pierce

I concur completely that "JFK" was definitely overrated. If one would actually access his presidency history accurately, and objectively; one should conclude with an intelligent outcome that Kennedy was inexperience, and lacked the maturity, and moral compass to lead this nation in times of "grave crisis".Now, say what you made think of "William Jefferson Clinton" as a moral leader, but I've never heard any mentioning of questioning regarding his competence, or lack of basic intelligence to carry out his duties daily efficiently and effectively. And last but not least, "George W. Bush", is a "complete moron". Enough said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh by the way, did I mention, that I'm conservative political junkie, and always vote independently.

The best about all of the comments is that your voices are heard because of the Constitution of this great United Sates to have the freedom to do so. That would put the first three Presidents in my top five- Washington, Adams & Jefferson. FDR for taking a country that was in turmoil and pulling it out of the misery that it was in. The fifth would have to be Lincoln.
The worst would be a long list. Pierce, Hoover & A. Johnson I agree on. Bill Clinton would have to be there just for the impeachment alone. I would also consider Carter in the bottom 5 for just being a political puppet during his presidency.

William Clinton, didn't have the sense to come in out of the rain. He failed to go after OBL not once, but twice. He never let his duties get in way way of his womanizing. He led us into to a recession and he crafted Open Borders and damaged American Business with NAFTA! How quickly you all forget; and let us not forget that he got us involved in KOSOVA! He put American Forces under Foreign Command; that is a Gigantic Mistake and bordered on Treason. John F Kennedy was a total waste! Another womanizer, screwed up Bay of Pigs and got us into Viet Nam via Robert McNamara! Trust me, I was there!
Top of List Reagan and Truman followed closely by Madison, Washington and Lincoln and Jackson (Strong Central Bank). Biggest wastes as President were Eisenhower and Carter! Jimmy Carter may have been the most ignorant and useless President of ANY Country in the History of the World!

Note to ghbraves and all people like ghbraves! You are a dangerous fool. Your kind spouts data as if it were a fact and you fail to check your data. Truth be known, The Bombing of DRESDEN was ordered by Winston Churchill and NOT FDR, and for those that are unaware, the bombing of Dresden happened 2 months after FDR Died ( Fed 13-15 1945) and Truman took over Presidency in Jan! Secondly, stats NOW show that approx 24,000 were killed. In addition there was an investigation into the bombing after the war and it was determined that it was mecessary. Even German Propaganda of 1938 showed approximately 1500 factories in Dresden involved in production of War materials. Minor points ghbraves, but in future, check your facts ( for instance the fact the FDR was Dead when bombing happened and planning was done by Churchill after FDR's death). People like that are a danger and a serious threat to freedom. GHBRAVES and people like gh spout lies and many people don't know enough to check facts and find out that they are lies! Just like another post that said that Japan offerred to surrender twice and was turned down by HST. Author of that fiction turned out to be a member of the Communist Party of America! People need to check facts. Just because someone repeats a previous lie and suggests that it comes from an authoritive source, does not make it fact!

Worst president of all time was bill clinton. A liar. most of them are anyways but to get caught. and we do not need a leader in office that our children will look up to and think that its okay to cheat on your spouse and disgrace the office that he held.And if lincoln was such a great president why didn't he send the slaves back to africa after he freed them. Here's probably a reason why because they were slaves in their own country before they were sold into slavery here. so if the african nation as a whole in this country wants to blame anyone for slavery they need to start with their own motherland. apparently they don't teach this in history anymore. i never owned slaves and never would so quit holding people responsible for shit that happened over 2 hundred yrs ago. i was not alive then and neither was most of the people living today.

C'mon 'MICHAEL' you are obviously an educated man.. most educated men know that it is those who spue out threats that are the danger to our freedoms!! that is what freedom is to say whatever the heck you want, right or wrong..with the freedom to also chose whether or not you wanna say 'moral' or 'immoral unethical' comments..

even tho you are dead on with your facts. and i totally agree ppl should know what they are talking about before blabbing out garbage... but we all leave out this and that to bolster our claims and comments.. even you did..

ever hear of the term "bombenholocaust"?? well, it means "holocaust by bomb" this just goes to show that many still think that the fire bombings of Dresden and other German cities and other strategic bombings was not held lightly and moreover as a cowardly act.. Your number of 24k is the low end.. it goes up to 50k or maybe more. altho probly justified, but in hindsight, you could see it was not needed.. even tho the many ppl say that the war was close to over, this got construed b/c of the Battle of the Bulge was so devastating to both sides... nonetheless bombing raids were amped up and continued.. military intelligence found under the marshall inquiry deemed it necessary as a military strategic location for the Germans.. again, hindsight, it wasn't that necessary. it did have the few remaining railroads and communications but even that wouldn't have saved the nazis.. so again, at the time they thought it was needed.. but you have the other side that sees Dresden as this magical historic city.. which it is and was.. Dresden is like Florence or Rome or Paris.. all Europeans have a deep love for Dresden..
even British philosophers, historians and International Lawyers today deem it was a War Crime! It is hard for many who see an investigation by the 'allies' to investigate themselves for war crimes such as Dresden and find themselves innocent and that acts such as Dresden were necessary a little hard to accept.

In North Korea ppl go to prison if they say something that is wrong about the North Korean Government.. So GHBraves is not the danger to freedom.. it is THREAT mongers that are the danger.. the ppl who shut others down that are the danger.. for all we know.. Mr. GhBraves could very well have sincerely thought he was telling the truth..
just b/c ppl on both sides have diffeerent views, different opinions and even diffferent facts or one has the right fact and the other is wrong or has exxagerated them... it doesn't mean they are a danger!

even in your statement MICHAEL... you left out pertinent info to bolster your comment.. it wasn't a dead on 24,000. thats the low end of the number and goes up to 50,000 or maybe more.. also, it was the "allies" who deemed dresden was necessary after the investigation.. the ALLIES investigated themsevles and said that they did NOT committ war crimes.. even tho there probly were military factories and it was probly justified, the fact is thousands died..

BTW.. if it even matters after i just wrote that very long comment...

for my take on best presidents.. I mostly agree with what everyone is saying.. which seems to be the concsensus.. I do think Kennedy should be up there.. yes overrated, but what he did during the ColdWar was a feat not many leaders would of handled. I think his presidency is not only defined by the Apollo program but by those "thirteen days" in October..

As for Reagan, I would have to Agree w/ some of the comments, again, I think he was overrated too. yes, he did a great job helping the ColdWar come to an end.. but there were alot of leaders worldwide and before him that helped make it happen.. He was all foreign policy and no domestic.. Also the debacle of the Iran-Contra affair.. I could be wrong.. but wasn't he for the sale of weapons to the Contras to help covert operations such as in Iran?? Or was it vice-versa? I don't know. but what I do know.. I remember alot of ppl disliking him during the 80s. In fact, that is all I remember about him b/c of the recession..

I'll give some Points for Jimmy Carter - It was him that got out the hostages, NOT Reagan! R. Reagan got the credit b/c they were let out the first day of his first term to embarras Carter.. But he worked day and night for months trying to get him out.. And for his successful Camp David Peace Accord b/w Egypt and Israel which still lasts today..

But, being that I wasn't yet alive during his Presidency, what was it that made him so bad?? I am very curious. All I ever hear of how bad he was.. He is by far the most successful and most popular former President of his "post-presidency". His human and politcal rights agenda is bar none.. I am sure it has helped his legacy. Again, why do so many ppl dislike him? I in fact find him to be quite honest and of moral, sound judgement. Not many Presidents tell the truth like he does...(or am i wrong?)

I remember 12 presidents and I rate them:
Best- F D Roosevelt
IKE
Bill C
J Ford
JFK

Worst - George W Bush
L B Johnson
R M Nixon
R Reagan
H W Bush

My mother used to say, "There is some good in even the worst of people just as there is a little bad in the best of everyone". I firmly believe that!!
Therefore I did not rate the presidents so much on their character as what they were able to accomplish working with the congress and situations in the world at that time.

Dan Baumgartner, you are the worst liberal ever... FDR I agree with, and Ford; LBJ and Nixon are in my bottom five, but both Bushes in the bottom? no. Reagan should be at the top. Like this: Best: Lincoln Washington FDR Reagan Ford Worst: LBJ Nixon Clinton Van Buren - he did nothing Buchanan that is how it should go, for me at least...

Best: TR, Lincoln, Jefferson, Reagan , Kennedy , Ford.
Worst: Harding, L Johnson, Jackson, Jimmy Carter, Taft, Hoover, Wilson, FDR, Truman.

John Kennedy did not get us in Vietnam, read your history man!

Regarding Michael [Visitor], who wrote comments about me on 02/18/08 @ 20:48

After reading your very critical post, I have deducted that you are:

1. Not very knowledgeable of history
2. Incapable of typing in "FDR" to Google.
3. A hypocrite
4. Very dangerous, as YOU do not check your facts.
5. Of questionable intelligence

As such, I'll leave it to you to figure out why these five items are utterly true.

Also, a couple of random comments.
Although JFK had nearly 16,000 "advisors" in Vietnam by Nov. 1963, you gotta throw some blame on Eisenhower. He really got the ball rolling...at least ideologically, to get us in the Vietnam "interventionist" mentality.

Furthermore, while I like Reagan, I can't give him full credit for ending the Cold War. In one of his few brilliant moments, Jimmy Carter's authorization of the grain embargo against the USSR was pretty huge, in furthering economic troubles over there.

I would probably say that underrated presidents are:

Monroe - 'Era of Good Feelings' and prosperity during a potentially dangerous era. Staved off Civil War.

JC Adams - Brilliant person who continued Monroe's legacy and helped sustain economic and political stability by modernizing the nation with new roads, canals, a national university and an astronomical observatory.

Eisenhower - general peace and prosperity despite pressure from the military to escalate conflicts. Minor reforms but at least avoided the country plunging into McCarthy-ite dark ages and even took on McCarthy personally behind the scenes.

Carter- For a one term president, made some notable achievements (eg Camp David agreements, avoided escalation of Cold War despite Breshnev, implemented a human rights policy that while imperfect did curb abuse in many countries). Inherited the Iran problem but could have done more to break with the Shaw and Somoza earlier, issues which would later come to haunt America. Despite this, deserves at least top 15-20 range ranking, rather than the bottom of the barrel rankings I see him put in.

Overrated are:
Truman - Historians have dismissed his unpopularity too casually as being part of his folksy toughness. They have been overinflunced by his memoirs and support for the creation of Israel. Too many failures add up to a bad presidency. He mismanaged the economy and labour issues, causing the Republicans to take Congress, and his combative style found him passing very little reform legislation. His administration was riddled with corruption. In foreign afairs, aside from his reckless, cavalier use of the Manhatten Project and the disastorous Truman Doctrine, he completly bungled the Korean war by doing many of the things GW BUSh would later do - rushing in without being ready, not having a consistent agenda or plan, overextending the UN mandate and unwittingly provoking China into directly entering. After the Chinese had practically pushed the American military off the Korean peninsula Truman was only saved by a Chinese strategic retreat (China feared a wider, direct and possibly nuclear confrontation). He flip-flopped - one minute wanting to overrun the whole penisual and then pulling back, hoping for a PR victory with the rest of the world. We can fault MaCarthur all we want for insubordination but one can hardly blame him for devising his own plans out of frustration.

Jackson - unless you like racist, imperialists. He was America's Emperor Hirohito of the 19th century.

Lincoln - Let's not forget that he was the first president that failed to avoid civil war, waffling on his exact position on slavery at first, and then perceiving the confrontation between the Union and Confederates to be a cake-walk for the latter. A closer examination shows a less than enlightened leadership. He suspended the writ of habeas corpus, permitting military arrest and court-martial of civilian anti-war activists and his post-reconstruction plans were deeply flawed. He did make great speeches!

Wilson - Arrogant, unable to work with his opposition and failed to decisively negotiate an equitable agreement in 1919 that might have avoided future war. A good statesman but a horrible diplomat!

Just my opinoins and they are biased by my preference for presidents that effectively maintain or promote peace, preside (by good management) over general prosperity, find some success in implementing reforms and are relatively free of scandal. I respect all other interpretations and perhaps I'll change my mind if you present a good case without shouting insults.

FDR is one of the worst presidents, he was a socialist pig that didn't even belong in this country. And Kennedy belongs in the bottom tier too.

Very compelling argument, Adrian.

Best-Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, Reagan, Kennedy. Worst-Jackson, Nixon, Buchanan, Bush I, Harding.

best: FDR, JFK, Abe, Ike and Carter

Worst: Bush Jr., Sr., Buchanan, Reagan, and Did I mention Bush Jr.?

For those who mentioned Bill Clinton, He may have lied about his indiscretions, but I don't recall anyone dying because of it. UNLIKE BUSH!!!!!

BTW, can't put any of the early presidents in the top 5 because most of them were slave owners. Can't be a president and own people.

I should replace Bush I w/ Hoover

It's really fun reading this list because you can tell who the liberals are, and who the conservatives are.

It's tough to be purely objective, but many here aren't even trying. Alas.

I would agree that it is far too soon to judge George W. Bush as a president. Though, I'm confident that he will not make the top 5, I'm not sure if he will make the bottom 5 either. I am not and will never be a W fan, but in his defense he has protected our country since 9/11. In reference to the economy I would place the majority of the blame on congress, and not W.

GW is awesome.
i love him.
I had an affair with Nader. <33

R.Reagon within Top 8-best. G.W.Bush much better President then his father George Bush -"Senior". He stood firm and focused on the good and bad choices. President Bill Clinton I think of the top 5-worst, denied to be drafted and his actions "Playing" around. He's like other Presidents that have some good, but over all not good enough. OBAMA the 44th President just elected and very good feel he'll be in the Top 15-best by the time he is done his term.

Dan's list is good with me except for Jefferson and Kennedy. Monroe and Reagan instead. And unless everyone that posts a comment here in the future is an exteremely liberal left-wing socialist, Obama will never be in the top 15

Dan's list is good with me except for Jefferson and Kennedy. Reagan and Monroe instead. And unless everyone that posts a comment here in the future is an extremely liberal left-wing socialist, Obama will never be in the top 15

Ronald Reagan is a surefire top five and probably should be in Kennedy's place.

Kennedy has many problems: Bay of Pigs Invasion, beginning the Vietnam war, and the Iraq bloodbath Kennedy personally supported Saddam Hussain to rid the country of leftists.

the top five presidents should be T Roosevelt
Washington
Wilson
F Roosevelt
Eisenhower

Worst
GW Bush
Ford
linclon
JFK
Carter

Sorry I'm so late to the party, but I have to comment on comments by Michael early in the postings.

Regarding the bombing of Dresden, FDR was still alive (he died 4/15/45). Also, while Truman was VP from 1/20 - 4/14, he met with Roosevelt only briefly and was clearly not in the inner circle of power or decision-making during that time. Bottom line: Dresden (regardless of whether it was ordered by FDR or Churchill) occurred during Roosevelt's watch.

Additional topic - not related to Michael's comments: JFK.

I have long been a fan of the Kennedy presidency, and I believe that, had he lived, he would likely have ranked well. Unfortunately, he did not live, so the record is a mixed bag (Good moments: space program, Peace Corps handling of Cuban Missile Crisis, inspirational leadership; bad moments: Vietnam escalation, Bay of Pigs).

Final point: arguments for/against presidential greatness should minimize emphasis on marital fidelity. It is not an indicator of executive performance.

My list - for the record...

Best (in order):
- Washington (estblished key precedents, provided leadership over highly talented, yet bitterly divided, cabinet)
- Lincoln (preserved the union; overcame serious cabinet dissention)
- FDR (depression/WWII)
- TR (Progressivism)


Worst:
- LBJ and Nixon tie (both had strong achievements, but their negative issues poisoned public opinion of government for years to come)
- Buchanan
- Carter
- Andrew Johnson

"W" is likelay an addition to the list, but it's too early to judge.

Most Overrated:
JFK
Reagan

Most Underrated:
McKinley (more progressive than he was given credit for)

the worst president that i believe is

bush
reagan
nixon
bush
johnson

Problems with this page are very simple. Number 1 how do you not put Reagan or Eisenhower on the top 5. Before Reagan in the Carter years the economy was in the toilet with high taxes. Eisenhower the economy was great and there was peace with a strong military not to mention he brought Alaska into the Union. Kennedy was a terrible president. He promised the Cubans great things and he never delivered. He beat Nixon by a small percent, wait not even a percent. I'm catholic Kennedy only won because of that. Also in the Eisenhower years there was a great economy once he took office the economy went down the tubes.

I have an idea. Lets wait about 20 years and then see where people rank Bush jr. We should at least wait until we've had some time to compare him to the other presidents that follow after him. No the man wasnt perfect. But he was a waaaaay better president than people give him credit for. The media was a huge part in why people dont like him. The truth about iraq is that if obama listens to his advisors(the wise thing to do)and we finish the job there than within a year we'll be out of iraq and have won. Im sorry but if americans were stuck under a dictator that was gassing my neighbors by the thousands i would want somebody fightin 4 me too. Its common sense. Everyone wants peace but theres always gonna be another war and the blame shouldnt be landing solely on george jr. I also would have rather had bush handling 9/11 than al gore, but maybe thats just me. Im not sayin W is top five but he sure doesnt belong on the bottom

OK, I just watched Dub's (or is that DUH's) final speech. All of you who stated it was too early to judge his presidency, now is the time to stand up. He must be considered as one of the worst presidents in history.

Also Washington really doesn't deserve to be on the list. He was a pretty good president also the first, but he really shouldn't of being president. Because Franklin would of got it if he wasn't so old. Also Thomas Jefferson did promote slavery for many years. And why isn't Reagan there he ended the Soviets.

Well i just read ever comment on here and everyone makes great points and i am very proud to be in a country where so many people actually talk about htis stuff. okay on to my list i would have to say that my best top 5, in no certain order, would have to be Washington for actually setting the standard, Lincoln for stepping into office with the strength to get the union back together, FDR for trying any thing he could think of to get this country back on its feet during the great depression, Truman for having the nerve to make those tough decissions during ww2, and Clinton because no matter what happened in his personal life with the ladies he brought this country to one of the highest economic growths in the past 40 years.

Worst would have to be Bush Jr., Harding, Pierce, LB Johnson, and Jackson.

The best, unarguably Washington & Lincoln. If it wasn¡¦t for them this country would not be what it is today (or possibly not even here for that matter).

I hardly doubt Dubya will be ranked the worst president in history. Or even in the bottom five. Yes he is socially stupid. He deserves better. His presidency was far more successful than not. Items include:

ƒ{ Not signing Kyoto protocol. That thing was a joke. Yes we need to start a ¡§war on climate change,¡¨ but just think how the economy would be now if regulations were even tighter.
ƒ{ Intense tactics used to locate people involve in plots to kill Americans. Yes, however controversial, necessary.
ƒ{ Tax cuts for everyone. Before our media sparked recession hit, think of what you got during the past 8 years that you never thought you could have. A lake home, new car, that great job, etc. All had been at all time highs. ¡§Tax cuts¡¨ for Oil companies is a tactic used to describe this, however how can you give everyone a tax cut and say sorry Oil companies you suck and make too much money, cant have one. Can I hear Lawsuit.
ƒ{ Support for a peaceful middle east, especially with Israel. Until recently everything has been relatively stable (and you can¡¦t blame him for an uncooperative unrecognized government with no sense of human welfare).
ƒ{ No Child Left Behind Act, with funding and success rates at the highest ever.
ƒ{ Continuing to promoting Democracy around the world, so every human has a great of life as we do here in America.
ƒ{ Medicare prescription drug benefit, with lowered rates for everyone by increase drug competition.
ƒ{ Rebuilding of presidential authority. Yes, his ideas where always highly criticized by the media and then by the public; however, he did restore the frightened don¡¦t make any major decisions without approval ethic of the last former presidents which has been going on for decades.
ƒ{ Strengthened relations with east Asian democracies including China and India.
ƒ{ Finally he freed Afghanistan and Iraq without the lost of one American civilian. The troop surge, funding, and methods made the world a better place. And if Clinton (not judging him on anything else as yes he was a good president) would have pulled the trigger on multiple opportunities on Osama Bin Ladin we wouldn¡¦t even be in this argument.

Don¡¦t judge the past couple years on one man. I think he will find his place in history as a middle of the road man. Just like the majority of the presidents of the last decade. Not to mention none of you have even met or I¡¦m sure hardly researched the worst presidents. What about William Henry Harrison, only a month in office, how did he do any good? Or Millard Fillmore, who signed legislation to keep slavery at its peak.

And by the way, I voted for Gore.

Carter was as useful as an elevator in a outhouse. Very nice man and wanted peace but he was a very weak prez. Panama canal ?? Laughed at by the Iranians !! infact by the world !! Inflation running away and unemployment running rampant. The saying history repeats itself..Here you go Obama !

i dnt think so george bush should be in there 4 worst o.k

Well I hate to say it, but Nixon was one of the best presidents. I mean he had the largest landslide in history. He was vice president for eight years. He prevented WW3 so I give a lot of credit for that especially, because they had nuclear weapons. Improved relations with China and now there the second strongest nation next to us. He got us out of the Kennedy/Johnson recession. Threw conservatism and the reason why Ford went into a recession was because all of there tax cuts and reduced spending was destroyed by congress. He ended the Vietnam war which we really won, but democrats say we lost. I also feel very bad for the man he grew up poor with his two brothers dead. So he naturally was going to have some problems. He served as an advisor to Ford, Reagan, Bush Sr., and Clinton. And he would of being president if Kennedy wasn't a cheat. He out spent him and also had the mob which experts brought him 5,000,000 votes and he won by 120,000 votes. So anyone who reads this tell me what you think of Nixon now.

Best
1. Lincoln
2. Washinton
3. Reagan
4. FDR
5. Teddy
Worst
1. Buchanan
2. Pierce
3. Filmore
4. Hoover
5. Harding
Underrated
1. W.
2. H.W.
3. Ford
Overrated
1. Clinton
2. Carter
3.Johnson

I think Lyndon B Johnsonn should be up there. He is really the one that fulfilled JFK's Legacys. JFK had a good plan but he died before he could do it. Lyndon Johnson is the one that made his plan a reality. By the way Clinton was a damn good president atleast with him we werent 10 billion dollars in debt and its not fair that he got impeached becasue he lied about having oral sex with another women leave personal stuff out of politics

I think that these whould be the top 5

Not in Order

Lyndon Johnson
Bill Clinton
Richard Nixon( EXCLUDING WATERGATE )
Harry Truman
Teddy Roosevelt


I picked these 5 for certain reasons Harry Truman becasue he took the first steps to Civil Rights. Nixon prevented another World War. Johnson made JFK's leagacies realities. Clinton becasue he made our countries economy SKY ROCKET! Roosevelt is pretty self explainitory.

Taft should be mentioned in the Top 10 because he became President for his friend and did a damn good job.

Now Im going to ask everyone here please. Don't let W bring down HW. I mean HW was amazing he ended a war in 100 days. Easily one of the strongest presidents when it came to foreign policy. I mean really Reagan brought down the Soviets, but HW finished it. He is easily the best one term president in history. Now people say why did he lose. I'll tell you why Kennedy was a got it passed threw congress that banks don't have to check peoples records. Clinton left office with a recession like both Bush's, but no one mentions it just saying. It's very rare for a party to serve three terms let alone four terms in a row. Dan Quale was a terrible pick for VP. the pickle cost him his career. He should of picked Colin Powell and that goes for both Bush's. The biggest problem was he had Ross Perot which cost him a huge chunk of the popular vote the same problem goes for Bob Dole. So HW is the better Bush.

Buchanan should be the worst not Harding. Buchanan divided the country in half, destroyed are economy, and went crazy while in office. Not to mention he was gay " that there's anything wrong with that".

Buchanan was probably the worst of all time...
Carter was definitely the worst of the 20th century, with Hoover and Harding running close 2nd and 3rd

Of the best.. Washington and Teddy R deserve to be in that top 5.. with Reagan, Jefferson, and Truman

Top overrated:
JFK - Sorrow and remembrance don't make one great
FDR - Again popular, but his New Deal prolonged the depression and set a horrid precedent for government spending. His global policies pre-war were pretty bad.
Clinton - Took much credit on the economy which was not because of him, but because of the tech boom. Also the same tech boom that turned to bust that killed the economy as he was finishing up his term and continued for a while afterward.

Finally some seance on this website.

Personally I think the Bush's should be LAST. I mean look at where we are now! Obama has a lot to clean up and hopefully he can. I strongly think Obama will fix the United States of America!

Best
1. Lincoln Idealist
2. Teddy Roosevelt Realist
3.Jimmy Carter A model To be revered! A true AMERICAN,Farmer,Soldier,Politician, Humanitarian, someone who gets his hands dirty and into real work!
4.Kennedy, killed before he could make his mark on our society.
5.Johnson for trying.
WORST
1. BUSH #1
2. BUSH #2
3.Reagan, phoney, baloney.
4.Clinton for his sexual excapades, bad Dad and husband and role model.
5.Nixon, he got caught, Both Bushe's and Reagan should have!

For the best I'd go like this -Lincoln -Truman, I've seen mixed reviews on him he had some of the toughest decesions in office and did a great job with them Washington with help from Franklin and Jefferson -FDR -Teddy -Madison Worst -Harding -Hoover -Van Buren -Buchanan -The second Adams Overrated I hate to say it but Kennedy is a bit overrated, but still a good president The most overrated of President is Reagan, Reaganomic what a joke, he's the kind of guy that's a right place right time guy

How does JFK rank in the top 5?

He got us in Vietnam.
He created the Cuban missile crisis.
He didn't keep his word to the Cuban freedom fights that he helped train.
He approved a plan to hire the Mafia to kill a foreign leader.
He involvement in Marilyn Monroe's death.

The list does on about of how bad and ugly a president he was.

Best: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR and Truman.

Worst: Carter, Carter, Carter, Carter, Carter! Throw in Buchanan, Pierce, Fillmore, Nixon and Harding.

The comments on this site make me want to move outside the United States. It's chilling how little the citizens of this great nation know about their history.

Well I think that FDR is the most over rated president of all time. Just listen for a second and clear your heads. Roosevelt raised taxes on the rich through the roof. A little bit of long forgoten history is that FDR taxed all those making $25,000+ dollars a year 75%! 75% is a lot. But the buck does not stop there. All money that you make over that 25,000 dollars goes to the government. Now if that is not a communtist I don't know what is. He did not bring us out of World War 2. The war did that. The war put people to work making tanks and planes. When people started having enough money to spend, the cogs of capitolism start to run again. Simple economics. Now for my favorite president. Licoln is number 2, while Washington is number 3. But number one goes to Ronald Reagan. He is underated now, but history will remember him as our finest leader. Why? Because he did not play around. If he did not like you. Bye, bye. Take Lybia for example. And who could forget him out smarting by out bugeting the Solviet Union. The air trafic control workers. He fired them all. Bam! like that. No messing around. So why is it that so many hate him? Jimmy Carter did not get any where in the Iran Hostage Crisis. They were releast because the Irainian leaders were terrified of Reagan. Jimmy carter set men over there to try and rescue them and many of them died. Jimmy C. put the economy in the craper. Reagen got it out by offering tax cuts to the rich who then had more money to spend more. This money in turn went down the economic latter to the less welthy. He made the rich richer and the pore richer. Win win. He did not make the rich pore and the pore rich like Barack Obama belives. My least favorite president is eather Obama or FDR depending on how things shape out. We need an other Reagan. Teach Iran and North Korea a lesson they will not soon forget.

I ment the Great Depression sorry.

What did Reagan do that should of made him get caught? Brianna

hmmm.. all of you are forgetting POLK!!!! he sucked... with the war with mexico... totally bogus
oh. and andrew jackson... he wasn't cool at all.... yet somehow we tend to like him just cause we see his face on money....
but clinton is totally over rated... it's cause of him that bush had it so hard. he had to redefine the honor that is involved with it all.

You hit it on the head. Clinton, Polk, and Jackson were bad. But may I put an other; Andrew Johnson, he was a veto nut.

My list is like this:
Reagan
Lincoln
Theodor Roosevelt
Washington
Truman

Worst:
John Adams
Clinton
Carter
FDR
Obama (stimulus)more like (strangle us)

Those of you saying Bush is the worst are full of crap. It was CLINTON who we can blame for the economy now. CLINTON cut our military spending which caused what? =0; oh you guessed it!! 9-11!! It was CLINTON who made it to where Bush had to spend and spend and spend to get us back on track. Also, Kennedy; WHAT did he ever do!? Die? That's about it.
The best are:
Lincoln
FDR
Washington
Ronald Raegan
Teddy Roosevelt

Worst are:
Buchanon
Harding
Hoover
Clinton
Harrison (he died in a month can't help but put him here)
Johnson
*these are in no specific order.
(I would add Obama to the worst list but he hasn't done yet what he says he going to do which will, in turn, cause me to put him in my worst list, such as, cut our military spending like the idiot is going to do.

can't believe a man of genocide, Andrew Jackson, could be placed above the bottom of the pile

Now this is my top 5
Number 1 Abraham Lincoln: Although he didn't keep his promises to the american people about slavery. It was a good lie that helped america achieve greatness. Grew up as a poor kid who became successful and united america in crisis. If we stayed with democrats we would of ended up right now with to country's in america.
Number 2 Ronald Reagan: Reagan left us with a good amount of deficits, but it was worth it. He collapsed communism in his administration which helped us out over all. I mean now we don't have to spend as much on the military thanks to him so he really saved us money and time. He fought for low taxes and small government. And got us out of one of the most serious Recessions we ever had.
Number 3 Richard Milhouse Nixon: He ended the Vietnam war like he promised to. Which never would of happened if america wasn't so stupid to elect Kennedy. He got screwed by Kennedy's men in the mob. He ended a Recession caused by Kennedy using basic conservative ideas. Lowered taxes on all americans which always helps. Had one of the most effective drug recovery programs with criminals. And above all his trips to China helped america out in many ways. Which prevented a third world war. His only downfall in life was Watergate. Not to mention his middle name was used to create one of the funniest Simpson characters.
Number 4 Dwight .D. Easenhower: In his administration he had one of the highest economic growths in history. Now I know what your saying didn't he like that jerk Clinton profit over a tech boom. Not at all in the Truman years we also had TVs, but by ending the War in Curia it created economic growth. And like all of the other true conservative presidents reduced spending and lowered taxes.
Number 5 Theodore Roosevelt: Oh come on do I really have to explain he's just naturally great. And just to educate he was the youngest president.

I'm just curious about the kind of people who have nothing better to do than troll the internet and argue that Reagan and Nixon were good presidents. I wish I had a controversial topic like this. Imagine the ad impressions I'd get!

my best presidents are
1: washington
2: b.hayes brouth back the economy and was one of the prsidents who put value to our money, even do is presedency was overshadow by the close election.
3: regan
4: lincon
5: teddy
worts
1: clinton
2:carte
3:kennedy
4:buchanan
5:johnson

Some people would complain saying I should of put these people on the list, but I didn't. Simple because I thought they are overrated and they if you dissect them really weren't that great.
FDR: Now most people Republican or Democrat would put him on there list, but not me. You see he would've never won three terms if it wasn't for big government. He made the depression go longer with big government. Taking away our american rights raising taxes. The only reason the depression ended was because of Hitler.
Thomas Wilson: Well consider him on the top 10 just because he was pretty good. The only real problem with him was that he had stupid ideas on taxes and prohibition, but still a good president. And he really couldn't of being that good. He only won because Taft and Roosevelt killed each other while running instead of working together and as for reelection he won by a point of two.
Harry Truman: He won WW2 he was, a great leader, and had some accomplishments. Really I was going to put him as number 5, but his approval rating was worse than Bush. Not to mention he was weak on the economic part of WW2 leaving us with huge deficits.
Thomas Jefferson: The louisiana purchase was great, but for a guy who said everyone's equal. Having five kids with a slave is just terrible. I mean he said he was happily married, but had more affairs than Clinton probably not Kennedy though. I mean who has that many affairs openly and has to many kids to count. Oh wait Sunny Corleone from the Godfather. Just put him as a number 6.
Andrew Jackson: Ah he did nothing really good. Great general though, but there weren't as many problems than.

Best certainly lincoln, fdr, washington, jefferson, tr, wilson, jakcson, carter, truman, eisenhower. worst from worst and on harding, a johnson, pierce, buchanan, reagan, tyler, wharrison, garfield, lbj, fillmore