Who was the Worst American President?

[stromboli]

My vote goes to Dubya for killing the most Americans in war since Vietnam, spending the most money for a war we didn't need, destabilizing the Middle East by eliminating Hussein and a few others. If he had simply sat on Hussein and given the Kurds some freedom and the means to defend themselves, we'd be a long way towards real peace there. You can thank him for every shit thing that occurred since.

[Mike Cl]

My vote goes to Dubya for killing the most Americans in war since Vietnam, spending the most money for a war we didn't need, destabilizing the Middle East by eliminating Hussein and a few others. If he had simply sat on Hussein and given the Kurds some freedom and the means to defend themselves, we'd be a long way towards real peace there. You can thank him for every shit thing that occurred since.

Clearly, the worst we ever had.  I saw a poll the other day that indicated his approval rating is higher than Obama's.  If find that in-fucking-credible!  The stupidity factor of our country just seems to be growing.  Bush (and his entire administration) belong behind bars.  Yet the idiot gets to paint his 4th grade pictures, which I guess he will put in his Bush Library with the Run Spot Run books.   Disgusted is a much too mild word.

[Savior2006]

I think Obama will ultimately be seen as better than average, especially considering the opposition he's had by the Other Party.  I mean, I thought the partisan witch hunt the GOP conducted against Clinton was appalling, but that was downright collegial compared to the knee-jerk absolutist opposition they have to Obama.  But I don't think he's top tier like Jefferson or Lincoln.

He absolutely shouldn't be rated higher than average I think. Increased surveillance and drone strikes: bad. But he helped end DADT, managed to pass SOME kind of health  reform even if it wasn't what we wanted. His main claim to fame is that just his presence showed how completely divorced from reality many conservatives are, and that's even before we factor in religious conservatives and their problems with science that goes against their holy book.

Obama: "Hey guys my name is Barack...."
GOP: "SOCIALISM! SOCIALISM! SOCIALISM!"

It's gotten to the point that I accuse conservatives of just throwing it out to minorities who are pro-labor, like they did with the Civil Rights movement. It literally has no meaning now.

[Jason Harvestdancer]

With all of the great historical examples, anyone arguing "W or Obama" is an underinformed partisan hack.

[Savior2006]

With all of the great historical examples, anyone arguing "W or Obama" is an underinformed partisan hack.

I rank them both about the same grade. Like I said, I give Obama a slight advantage in overall points because the Religious Right lost what little marbles they had left when he was elected.

[trdsf]

8 years of peace under Clinton?  I guess so, as long as you don't live in the Balkans.  Or Sudan.  Or Iraq.  Or Waco.

Unlike Dubya, however, these are not fights that Clinton either started, or lied us into.

The planning for the Waco operation could not have begun in just the three months since Clinton's inauguration; it's something that was in the works for some time and carried forward -- one may legitimately debate the way it was carried out, but the investigations and planning began no later than spring 1992, which is during Bush Sr's term.

The first Iraq war was Bush Sr's doing, and one may argue that failing to complete the job (i.e., leaving Saddam Hussein in power) was what's at fault there -- that of course opens up the whole question of whether and under what circumstance it's proper to enforce a government change on another country, which is more than messy ethically.

With regard to Sudan, I might remind you that until 9/11, the right wing's main complaint was that Clinton was too obsessed with Bin Laden, and only afterward and with profound hypocrisy tried to claim that Clinton had ignored him.

And as for the Balkans, it's fair to call that an international failure, not just Clinton's alone.

Fundamentally, I don't think you can compare military actions taken by Clinton with those taken by Bush Jr. (or Sr., for that matter), and there is probably no president in the nation's history (none that come to mind outside of William Harrison--and he only because he died a month into his term) who hasn't had to use the military somewhere.  Relatively, and certainly domestically, 'peace and prosperity' is a quite legitimate description of the Clinton presidency.

[Cocoa Beware]

Reagan's "Evil Empire" speech has always disturbed me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do0x-Egc6oA

The way he defines everything as black and white, good and evil, urgently claiming he needs more nukes when he already has enough to destroy the world a dozen times.

Its just so surreal and out of touch with reality... apparently he is supposed to be the leader of the free world or something... yet he has no restraint whatsoever and gleefully antagonizes his enemy, much to the peril of everyone living on the planet.

I'm not sure if I can truly consider him the worst President of all time, because there were no doubt quite a few terrible Presidents before him that I am not as well acquainted with.

However, if we do have a few more like this guy our chances of survival on a level we are familiar with are very slim indeed.

[steadfast-atheist]

If we take all the different ways in which a president can be bad, surely George W. Bush has to be the all-around overall worst.

[Savior2006]

Reagan's "Evil Empire" speech has always disturbed me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do0x-Egc6oA

The way he defines everything as black and white, good and evil, urgently claiming he needs more nukes when he already has enough to destroy the world a dozen times.

Its just so surreal and out of touch with reality... apparently he is supposed to be the leader of the free world or something... yet he has no restraint whatsoever and gleefully antagonizes his enemy, much to the peril of everyone living on the planet.

I'm not sure if I can truly consider him the worst President of all time, because there were no doubt quite a few terrible Presidents before him that I am not as well acquainted with.

However, if we do have a few more like this guy our chances of survival on a level we are familiar with are very slim indeed.

Sounds like a smarter version of Bush.

[Jason Harvestdancer]

Who made W possible?  Who set all the precedents W followed?

[Mike Cl]

Who made W possible?  Who set all the precedents W followed?

Polk???

[steadfast-atheist]

Another way in which George W. Bush was the worst president was his selection of Dick Cheney as his running mate. Not only was George W. Bush the worst president in U.S. history, Cheney was the worst vice-president.

Cheney is such a scumbag that he is trying to blame President Obama for the problems in Iraq and just about every other problem that he and Bush created. Both he and Bush should crawl down into a hole together and never come out again.

[trdsf]

Another way in which George W. Bush was the worst president was his selection of Dick Cheney as his running mate. Not only was George W. Bush the worst president in U.S. history, Cheney was the worst vice-president.

Cheney is such a scumbag that he is trying to blame President Obama for the problems in Iraq and just about every other problem that he and Bush created. Both he and Bush should crawl down into a hole together and never come out again.

And do you know who was in charge of the search committee to select a running mate for Dubya?

Dick Cheney.

[steadfast-atheist]

And do you know who was in charge of the search committee to select a running mate for Dubya?

Yes I knew that Bush appointed Cheney to screen possible VP candidates. Cheney finally reported back that he couldn't find anybody in the Republican party who would be a suitable running mate. The rest of their conversation isn't clear, but it ended with Cheney himself getting the nod.

[trdsf]

Yes I knew that Bush appointed Cheney to screen possible VP candidates. Cheney finally reported back that he couldn't find anybody in the Republican party who would be a suitable running mate. The rest of their conversation isn't clear, but it ended with Cheney himself getting the nod.

And that was a bad sign from the beginning (as if there weren't plenty already), that this first decision of a potential presidency he couldn't be bothered to make for himself.