Ranking Presidents

 

It is usual in February and March to think and hear talk about ranking presidents. To me there are only three good answers as to the greatest – Washington, Lincoln, or a tie between them.

There were others who did great things while in the office – Jefferson with the Louisiana purchase, Reagan with the Cold War, FDR with World War II – and a number more who would qualify as good presidents. But Washington and Lincoln stand out. One during his administration set the standard for the office and did more than anyone else to make sure that the earlier victory in a revolution for the principles of liberty led to a stable constitutional republic based on those principles. A person only has to look at the outcomes of other revolutions around the world to see how rare and great an accomplishment that was. The other saved that republic in its greatest crisis and corrected its worst fault. (I believe they were not only the greatest presidents, but also the greatest men to hold the office.)

A t the other end of things, there is the question of who is the worst president in the country’s history. These days a lot of people would say Donald Trump. He is bad enough, but without knowing what will happen in the rest of his term, it is too early to put him at the bottom of a list that includes James Buchanan and Woodrow Wilson.

However, if one were to judge only on the basis of character as revealed in public behavior and demeanor, there is a strong argument that he qualifies as the worst human being to hold the office. And that  does not require waiting a couple of years to see how things go.