who is the greatest president in US history? (Mossad, Reagan, Clinton)

[jmarquise]

didn't want to pigeonhole people with a poll. this is a choice, not the choice of the lesser of two evils. who is the greatest president in united states history and why?

[daminos]

Originally Posted by jmarquise

didn't want to pigeonhole people with a poll. this is a choice, not the choice of the lesser of two evils. who is the greatest president in united states history and why?

Jefferson

1) Author of the Declaration of Independence
2) Ambassador to France during the time of the writing of the US Constitution
3) Bill of Rights
4) Repealing the Alien and Sedition Act
5) Repealing the First National Bank
6) Purchase of the Louisiana Territories
7) Founder of the University of Virginia

Did I forget anything?

[jmarquise]

Originally Posted by daminos

Jefferson

1) Author of the Declaration of Independence
2) Ambassador to France during the time of the writing of the US Constitution
3) Bill of Rights
4) Repealing the Alien and Sedition Act
5) Repealing the First National Bank
6) Purchase of the Louisiana Territories
7) Founder of the University of Virginia

Did I forget anything?

you and I agree. just didn't want to leave out the rest. jefferson is my man. thanks for replying!

[LML]

It would be a tie between Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln. All were the right man for the job in their time and in their way. And all had the courage to do what was right for the country and not just what was right for their own personal benefit.

[happ]

Certainly Abraham Lincoln is the greatest though Franklin Roosevelt is a close second.

[bchris02]

1. Lincoln
2. Franklin Roosevelt
3. Teddy Roosevelt
4. Reagan
5. Clinton

[Irishtom29]

Washington got us off to a good start and also won our most important Indian war, the Old Northwest War of the early 1790s. One can argue that the Treaty of Greeneville at the war's end was the most important in our history except for the Peace of Paris.

Jefferson for the Louisiana Purchase.

Lincoln crushed the great rebellion and preserved The United States. Pretty damned important.

FDR saved us from revolution in the 1930s and helped defeat Japanese imperialism and German fascism.

Gotta put in word for Polk. He settled the Oregon question, annexed Texas and grabbed lots of land from Mexico, LOTS of land. Very important guy though in retrospect I'm not so sure of the wisdom of bringing in Texas and California. But seriously, think about it, he was a crucial guy.

Damn, that's five. And I haven't even talked about ole Andy "by the Eternal" Jackson.

[LexusNexus]

I'll withhold my vote until after Barack Obama is elected. He promises to be the greatest. Any president who didn't fight against slavery, bigotry, and racial intolerance is eliminated from consideration.

Lincoln and Kennedy are up there. Any president before Lincoln is certainly eliminated.

[KevK]

1. Washington
2. Linclon
3. Jefferson
4. FDR
5. Truman
6. Eisenhower

[llowllevellowll]

I notice one person added Reagan and one person added Eisenhower. It's odd for me to see this because as per my thesis back in undergrad, I used both presidencies and marked them as moments in U.S. foreign policy history where their administrations adversely affected America's stance in the world -- in the form of Reagan's armorment of the Mojaheden and more importantly, Eisenhower's coup of Mossadeq. Any thoughts on this?

I'd also have to say Reagan's mismanagement of the 1981 AIDS epidemic was embarrassing at best and putting him in a top 5, for me, is incomprehensible. That's just my take on those two, however. His presidency is clearly tainted by having one of the worst cabinets in presidential history.

For the rest... I think clearly you add FDR, clearly you have Washington, clearly Jefferson, and clearly Lincoln. Can't disagree with anyone's assessments there.