The best President in American history - Page 2

**Mal Hombre** · June 12th, 2011, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haroldeye

Scoundrel #8 is one of the best posts I have ever read.

Indeed ,Well up to His usual high standard,Now here's a name You wouldn't expect to see on this thread-Richard Nixon,One of the strangest men to occupy the Oval Office,devious,dishonest,socially awkward and neurotic.Yet He it was Who ended the ill-conceived and ill-fated US involvement in Vietnam and Who normalised His country's relations with China.Not the best by far but far from the worst.

**aphex1973** · June 12th, 2011, 02:40 PM

I must agree with Scoundrel that it is far easier to choose the worst US president than the best. It is all very complex and subjective. With historical figures and politicians it often times boils down to little more than rhetoric and cult of personality. To be fair, you must take the time to study the individuals and evaluate them based on their words, perceived intentions and place their actions in an historical context. I think that one of the presidents who gets short shift from many modern historians is Dwight Eisenhower. An intelligent man who seemed to understand that his job was to govern a nation rather than simply rubber stamp his political party's ideological agenda. Rather than drone on about his accomplishments, I will let the man speak for himself.

An excerpt from his famous A Chance For Peace Speech (April 16,1953):

"The free nations, most solemnly and repeatedly, have assured the Soviet Union that their firm association has never had any aggressive purpose whatsoever. Soviet leaders, however, have seemed to persuade themselves, or tried to persuade their people, otherwise.

And so it has come to pass that the Soviet Union itself has shared and suffered the very fears it has fostered in the rest of the world.

This has been the way of life forged by 8 years of fear and force.

What can the world, or any nation in it, hope for if no turning is found on this dread road?

The worst to be feared and the best to be expected can be simply stated.

The worst is atomic war.

The best would be this: a life of perpetual fear and tension; a burden of arms draining the wealth and the labor of all peoples; a wasting of strength that defies the American system or the Soviet system or any system to achieve true abundance and happiness for the peoples of this earth.

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.

This world in arms is not spending money alone.

It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.

The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities.

It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals.

It is some fifty miles of concrete pavement.

We pay for a single fighter plane with a half million bushels of wheat.

We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people.

This is, I repeat, the best way of life to be found on the road the world has been taking.

This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron. These plain and cruel truths define the peril and point the hope that come with this spring of 1953."

Ultimately, his presidency and the nation could not and did not live up to these fine words. The weight of world events and pressures from internal and external political entities pushed the agenda to one of protectionism and paranoia. That said, it could have been far worse and it is difficult to imagine a president who could have better navigated the tumultuous waters of post World War II geopolitics. Just my 2 cents.

**COP11** · September 11th, 2011, 06:08 PM

George Washington

**hound dog** · September 11th, 2011, 11:37 PM

I'll have to cast my vote for Lincoln, he served at the most critical time in U.S history, with courage and compassion. He was ridiculed and vilified, his cabnet rarely worked with him or supported him, he had to deal with prima donna's like McClellan, and had to cope with family tragedy as well. Without him, specifically, I think the Confederacy's early victories force a negotiated peace and recognition as a sovereign nation. He wrote a hell of a speech too.

**tygrkhat40** · September 12th, 2011, 12:47 AM

Abraham Lincoln, for leading the nation through the most dire of circumstances, a civil war. And although he did not survive to see the peace, his vision of the peace was partially enforced in the fact that the rebels were welcomed back into the country. There were no reprisals or treason trials for the majority of Confederates. And there were certainly no summary executions.

And mentions have to be given to Franklin Roosevelt for his leadership through the Great Depression and World War II and Harry Truman for being the first President in the Superpower era.

**Warren G** · September 12th, 2011, 06:54 AM

Lincoln will most likely go down in hisory as the best president in US history. But I'm sick and tired of hearing the Tea Party worshipping Saint Ronald Reagan. It's become downright sickening. Everytime they have a debate at the RR Library, they wheel old Nancy out there, and prop her up in a chair, and then they all commence to kissing ass. "Reagan did this, and Reagan did that", blah blah blah.

It's amazing for a political party that's so dead set against raising taxes to praise a man that raised taxes 11 times during his administration. A little density, there.

**deepsepia** · September 15th, 2011, 08:21 AM

I vote for George Washington. He's more "icon" than political figure these days, most people know his portrait, but don't really think of him as a man.

He wasn't in your face brilliant like Jefferson, but he had a very clear idea of what the United States should be-- and its both his military skill, and his political skill that made the country.

He also defined a certain "flavor" of non-partisan military man as leader, a "type" you see again in George Marshall.

Re Scoundrel on Truman . . . Truman did a lot of things well; I don't know if I'd say "the best", but certainly very good.

[Edit] Truman had the interesting distinction of having the services of America's only great strategic thinker, George Marshall, as Secretary of State. He and Marshall were a very good team, though they soured over Marshall's opposition to the creation of the State of Israel.

Marshall was correct from the point of view of American national interest . . . but Truman was more of a mensch. Ideally you'd like that combination, a genuine human being combined with a more cold blooded analyst.

v4vendetta · September 17th, 2011, 12:14 AM

Thomas Jefferson.
Saved everyone the bother of listening to a BORING state of the union speech
Louisiana Purchase
Lewis and Clark Expedition

Anyone who says Lincoln doesn't know the value of owning a slave. lol

henri33 · September 17th, 2011, 02:01 AM

washington

**Staffsyeoman** · September 17th, 2011, 06:25 AM

Not making him my choice, but to underline Eisenhower - making a speech such as his farewell speech in 1961, having been a war-winning soldier - underpins the case in favour. His warning of a 'military-industrial complex' was prescient. Oh, and I've been a soldier and worked in government...

June 12th, 2011, 02:40 PM	#12
aphex1973 I heard the bullroarer Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Left Coast Posts: 20,047 Thanks: 184,315 Thanked 333,838 Times in 20,005 Posts	I must agree with Scoundrel that it is far easier to choose the worst US president than the best. It is all very complex and subjective. With historical figures and politicians it often times boils down to little more than rhetoric and cult of personality. To be fair, you must take the time to study the individuals and evaluate them based on their words, perceived intentions and place their actions in an historical context. I think that one of the presidents who gets short shift from many modern historians is Dwight Eisenhower. An intelligent man who seemed to understand that his job was to govern a nation rather than simply rubber stamp his political party's ideological agenda. Rather than drone on about his accomplishments, I will let the man speak for himself. An excerpt from his famous A Chance For Peace Speech (April 16,1953): "The free nations, most solemnly and repeatedly, have assured the Soviet Union that their firm association has never had any aggressive purpose whatsoever. Soviet leaders, however, have seemed to persuade themselves, or tried to persuade their people, otherwise. And so it has come to pass that the Soviet Union itself has shared and suffered the very fears it has fostered in the rest of the world. This has been the way of life forged by 8 years of fear and force. What can the world, or any nation in it, hope for if no turning is found on this dread road? The worst to be feared and the best to be expected can be simply stated. The worst is atomic war. The best would be this: a life of perpetual fear and tension; a burden of arms draining the wealth and the labor of all peoples; a wasting of strength that defies the American system or the Soviet system or any system to achieve true abundance and happiness for the peoples of this earth. Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some fifty miles of concrete pavement. We pay for a single fighter plane with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people. This is, I repeat, the best way of life to be found on the road the world has been taking. This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron. These plain and cruel truths define the peril and point the hope that come with this spring of 1953." Ultimately, his presidency and the nation could not and did not live up to these fine words. The weight of world events and pressures from internal and external political entities pushed the agenda to one of protectionism and paranoia. That said, it could have been far worse and it is difficult to imagine a president who could have better navigated the tumultuous waters of post World War II geopolitics. Just my 2 cents. __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Oh, look! A zyzzyva! The absolute last word in weevils.

September 12th, 2011, 12:47 AM	#15
tygrkhat40 Long Suffering Bills Fan Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: The City of Good Neighbors Posts: 9,669 Thanks: 304,243 Thanked 153,135 Times in 9,629 Posts	Abraham Lincoln, for leading the nation through the most dire of circumstances, a civil war. And although he did not survive to see the peace, his vision of the peace was partially enforced in the fact that the rebels were welcomed back into the country. There were no reprisals or treason trials for the majority of Confederates. And there were certainly no summary executions. And mentions have to be given to Franklin Roosevelt for his leadership through the Great Depression and World War II and Harry Truman for being the first President in the Superpower era. __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

September 15th, 2011, 08:21 AM	#17
deepsepia Moderator Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Upper left corner Posts: 7,214 Thanks: 48,029 Thanked 83,535 Times in 7,208 Posts	I vote for George Washington. He's more "icon" than political figure these days, most people know his portrait, but don't really think of him as a man. He wasn't in your face brilliant like Jefferson, but he had a very clear idea of what the United States should be-- and its both his military skill, and his political skill that made the country. He also defined a certain "flavor" of non-partisan military man as leader, a "type" you see again in George Marshall. Re Scoundrel on Truman . . . Truman did a lot of things well; I don't know if I'd say "the best", but certainly very good. [Edit] Truman had the interesting distinction of having the services of America's only great strategic thinker, George Marshall, as Secretary of State. He and Marshall were a very good team, though they soured over Marshall's opposition to the creation of the State of Israel. Marshall was correct from the point of view of American national interest . . . but Truman was more of a mensch. Ideally you'd like that combination, a genuine human being combined with a more cold blooded analyst. Last edited by deepsepia; September 15th, 2011 at 06:49 PM..

September 11th, 2011, 06:08 PM	#13
COP11 Vintage Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 3,174 Thanks: 94,662 Thanked 47,741 Times in 3,172 Posts	George Washington

September 11th, 2011, 11:37 PM	#14
hound dog Vintage Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: West Coast of North America Posts: 1,104 Thanks: 6,453 Thanked 18,733 Times in 1,087 Posts	I'll have to cast my vote for Lincoln, he served at the most critical time in U.S history, with courage and compassion. He was ridiculed and vilified, his cabnet rarely worked with him or supported him, he had to deal with prima donna's like McClellan, and had to cope with family tragedy as well. Without him, specifically, I think the Confederacy's early victories force a negotiated peace and recognition as a sovereign nation. He wrote a hell of a speech too.

September 12th, 2011, 06:54 AM	#16
Warren G Vintage Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 1,473 Thanks: 5,632 Thanked 32,257 Times in 1,479 Posts	Lincoln will most likely go down in hisory as the best president in US history. But I'm sick and tired of hearing the Tea Party worshipping Saint Ronald Reagan. It's become downright sickening. Everytime they have a debate at the RR Library, they wheel old Nancy out there, and prop her up in a chair, and then they all commence to kissing ass. "Reagan did this, and Reagan did that", blah blah blah. It's amazing for a political party that's so dead set against raising taxes to praise a man that raised taxes 11 times during his administration. A little density, there.

September 17th, 2011, 12:14 AM	#18
v4vendetta Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Brooklyn Posts: 236 Thanks: 1,524 Thanked 9,504 Times in 227 Posts	Thomas Jefferson. Saved everyone the bother of listening to a BORING state of the union speech Louisiana Purchase Lewis and Clark Expedition Anyone who says Lincoln doesn't know the value of owning a slave. lol

September 17th, 2011, 02:01 AM	#19
henri33 Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 60 Thanks: 55 Thanked 338 Times in 47 Posts	washington

September 17th, 2011, 06:25 AM	#20
Staffsyeoman Vintage Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 2,271 Thanks: 34,207 Thanked 26,792 Times in 2,162 Posts	Not making him my choice, but to underline Eisenhower - making a speech such as his farewell speech in 1961, having been a war-winning soldier - underpins the case in favour. His warning of a 'military-industrial complex' was prescient. Oh, and I've been a soldier and worked in government...