Worst President Ever?

With less than a week to go in the American Presidential race, The Times in London is running a series of articles detailing a list of Presidents, ranked worst to best. The list is culled from the choices of a large group of historians and journalists.

Their choice for worst President of all time? James Buchanan (1857-1861), who presided over the build-up to the Civil War by unwisely shoving a thumb up his ass.  Other notable fuckheads include the infamous Richard Nixon (of course) and, at only number 33 of 42, the incomparably bad George W. Bush.

For my money, the worst President in American history is George W. Bush by a landslide. While Buchanan may have failed to act in the face of southern secession, Bush has actively done more to harm not only the world, but also the average Americans he swore to protect and serve.

What can be said to defend a man who said, on repeated occasions, that he would prefer to be dictator rather than a Constitutionally-empowered President because it “would be a lot easier”?

What reasoning can explain the policy of pre-emptive warfare? Or abolition of free speech? Or the assault on individual privacy? Or the destruction of the economy?

What excuses will we give our children and grandchildren when we describe why we allowed this moronic, bumbling idiot to desecrate democratic values and destroy the financial fabric of the nation? What will we tell them to help them understand why their country is a bankrupt third-world nation owned by China?

If George W. Bush is a dumbass, then what does it say about the people who allowed him to stay there?

I have often asked rhetorically, “Where are the Abraham Lincolns of the world?” I ask that because, to me, Lincoln defines the exact ideals you would want in a President. He was intelligent, humble, thoughtful, yet stern and courageous.  

I remember studying about the Civil War when I was younger, and being shocked to see the changes in Lincoln’s face over the four year course of the War. Like someone dying of cancer, Lincoln looked drained, his noble face deeply-lined and his eyes sunken and hollow. This was a man who took the burden of the War deeply into himself, and his concern was visible in every picture and in every written word.

Now contrast that type of leadership under trial with the way Bush has acted during his War On Terrorinvasion of Iraq. He cavorts around on his farm most of the year, yee-hawing and flipping people off while snickering stupidly. His dried fig husk of a brain has not even the slightest comprehension of the loss felt by American military families, or the anguish of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, or the turmoil he has caused to the entire world and America’s stand in it. He doesn’t care at all. Yee-Haw.

The economic turmoil currently gutting America’s future has brought new light on the Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who sat for almost three full terms during the worst financial period in America (at that point), The Great Depression. His guidance through that time, on through the eruption of World War II, gained him the respect and love of his countryman and most of the world.

Not only did FDR oversee large infusions of cash into the financial system to jump-start it – much like Bush is clumsily trying to do now – but he also attempted to create millions of new jobs as part of his overarching New Deal policy. Roosevelt wasn’t merely looking to give handouts; he rightly surmised that people, given the opportunity to work and make their own way, would do so. He correctly postulated that the economy is driven by the average American, and only by bolstering that workforce could the country ever hope to regain its footing.

Contrast that with Bush, who managed to bully and terrify Congress into approving a $700 billion dollar buyout in order to appease and protect his wealthy business interests, while simultaneously plunging the economic future of the United States into near-collapse. Given a budget surplus in 2000 from former President Bill Clinton, Bush has embarked on an unprecedented spending spree that has doubled the national debt in eight years (I thought the Democrats were supposed to be the big spenders …), part of which is the massive debt now owed to China. Yes, China … a country whose sole export twenty years ago was the rice they picked out of the fucking swamps. They now own America more than Americans do. Brilliant.

When FDR died, people felt like they had lost a father and a mentor and a friend. When Bush dies, it will be like shitting out a malignant tumor.

Even the young and exciting John F. Kennedy, who by most standards had his share of problems as President, infused the country with optimism and a sense of hope. He had bold ideas about equality and fairness among all men. He showed a steely resolve in the Cuban Missile Crisis as well, demonstrating that he could draw a line in the sand and stand up to it.

Contrast that with Bush, who has repeatedly demonstrated disdain for the rights of others who do not share his ideological philosophy. Thanks to the blank check of 9/11, Bush has forced his Orwellian and religious beliefs on American policy and the world in general. Although a  younger man like Kennedy, Bush has instead embraced the old cronyism of Washington. His administration runs like a frathouse, full of secrets and “boy’s club” ethics that have made them rich while the average American grows poorer.

For his idealism, Kennedy received a bullet in his head. What a shame someone didn’t think of trying that with Bush.

While there have been some awful Presidents in the history of the United States – Buchanan, Nixon, Carter, among others – George W. Bush prepares to leave office as my candidate for worst President of all time. Most of the country apparently agrees, giving him a disastrous approval rating lower than Dick Cheney’s ballsack.

Buchanan once said tht he felt like history would vindicate his Presidency in the long run. That never happened.

And no, George … nor will history be kind to you.