Who is your favorite U.S. president? (page 3)

AllTimeJeff

1. Abraham Lincoln (our first modern President, not quite 20th century, but definitely not 19th century either. He understood that the 20th century would somehow purge the stigma of slavery and the persecution of African Americans..... if they won the Civil War. The only President who can be credited with saving the Union.)

2. F D Roosevelt (our greatest 20th century President. Led the USA through the Depression and WWII)

3. John Adams (watch the HBO mini series... lol. The fact of the matter is he dealt with many issues foreign and domestic that were a real threat to the young country. He kept it together)

4. George Washington (great because he probably was the only truly altrusistic President. The tone he set is still an expectation of all Presidents, even if they only pay lip service to it sometimes... right Nixon?)

5. Franklin Pierce. JUST KIDDING!!! (did you know his great great grandchild is Barbara Bush? You might remember her boy, the 43rd Prez???)

5. James Monroe (Jefferson was a mean politician, maybe the best political thinker ever, but not in my top 5 Presidents. Monroe was more pragmatic. Monroe Doctrine still rocks.)

6. Thomas Jefferson ("We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists". Looking back, history shows him a better thinker and politician then president, and that is saying a lot.)

7. Teddy Roosevelt (Square Deal, Panama Canal, the first real Conservation President, and a friend of the worker, not big business, just to name a few. Energy and intellect. I can't put him over the other presidents, but I can't quantify why.... )

8. Woodrow Wilson (He led us carefully into WWI when it was needed, though not popular; a visionary who saw the need for a worldwide body to bring together the nations of the world. The League failed, but the UN endures, and it still owes its thanks to Wilson)

9. J F Kennedy (Source materials on the Cuban Missle Crisis confirms that he had both the intellect and fortitude to lead when we needed it the most. He kept us from nuclear war. Plus, regardless of his reasons, he started the push towards the Civil Rights legislation that LBJ got through in 1964)

10. Ronald Reagan (except for the deficits. A very skillful communicator who had a vision about the Soviet threat and followed through. The last cold war president, he is on my top 10 list because of his skill in bringing on the demise of the Soviet Union, and he really did lift up America's spirits, after two duds previous to him.)

11. Bill Clinton (Peacetime presidents can be good, but never great, never top 10. Still, if you can put his womanizing aside, he was marvelously competent, something that we missed dearly and noticed a ton when his sucessor came to town. Despite the GOP spin machine and its BS, Clinton was good, his greatest moment came when he stood up to Gingrich in 94 and the GOP who tried to impeach him for a BJ.)

SacrificialLoon

Didn't Harrison die of pneumonia a few months after taking office? I bet if he had muttonchops like Arthur he would've stayed warm and lived.

IP_SEC

This is serious SacLoon!

beksbks

Dude, he died 31 days in!!

SacrificialLoon

This is serious SacLoon!

Oh fine. I'll be serious. But I'll still question the seriousness of Bek's answer.

I want some of the old smilies back.

8. Woodrow Wilson (He led us carefully into WWI when it was needed, though not popular; a visionary who saw the need for a worldwide body to bring together the nations of the world. The League failed, but the UN endures, and it still owes its thanks to Wilson)

I don't know about that. One could argue that if we hadn't entered into WWI the allied powers wouldn't have been able to impose the Versailles treaty with all its reparations on Germany which paved the way for the National Socialists' rise to power.

AllTimeJeff

Harrison, the only thing we can say about his Presidency is that he won an election.

beksbks

But I'll still question the seriousness of Bek's answer.

And well you should Sac. I shall not cast my pearls before swine.

AllTimeJeff

I don't know about that. One could argue that if we hadn't entered into WWI the allied powers wouldn't have been able to impose the Versailles treaty with all its reparations on Germany which paved the way for the National Socialists' rise to power.

Probably a good topic to start on another thread. While I think that an interesting theory that is often postulated, it is clear that WWI would not have drawn to it's end as quickly without Wilson's skill in getting the US involved for the Allies.

Wilson was not in favor of the reparations given to Germany. Truthfully, WWI was a blunder all the way through. The lessons learned, from the start of the war which helped JFK not start war as he read "The Guns of August" during the Cuban Missle Crisis and saw how not to repeat those mistakes, to the 2nd try that became the United Nations, were all a result of those difficult times and the lessons learned.

Wilson couldn't have predicted the Nazi's, Hitler, or WWII. But history shows he was not in favor of antagonizing Germany the way Europe did in the 20's.....

AllTimeJeff

Oops!!!

George Washington (great because he probably was the only truly altrusistic President.)

I know how to spell altruistic!!!! See????

I just can't type....

beksbks

I just figured Washington had an affliction I was unaware of. Altrusistic, does it hurt??

Who is your favorite U.S. president?

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