12-25-2011
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: West Vancouver B.C.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by killarney_sailor
For me, the presidents who served in my lifetime (although I certainly was not an adult for the first couple):
Truman - pretty much agree with the general take on the man, capable, tough and fair. Absolutely correct. We could use one like him now. "The Buck Stops Here" sign on his desk said it all. Having the guts to fire MacArthur when he got too looney and dangerous showed just how good he was.
Eisenhower - quite underrated - I think history will treat him very well. Correct again. Not only did he essentially save the world BEFORE becoming President, he built the interstate highway network and kept the world from blowing itself up while making it look easy. His "Military / Industrial Complex" speech should be required reading for everyone before they form their political opinions. The only real complaint I have about him is that he didn't squash McCarthy like the bug he was - that demonstrated a surprising weakness IMHO
Kennedy - he was not president long enough so his grade is probably 'Incomplete', but I think he is overrated. He was a GREAT leader, one of the best ever but didn't pass much legislation. Sending men to the Moon makes him one of the greatest ever all by itself IMHO
Johnson - probably a bit underrated although it was such a complex time that he and Nixon have so many good and bad points that critics and supporters can cherry pick away. Nasty piece of work but he got a lot accomplished that has largely been forgotten. He essentially got the civil rights laws passed. Think about it - Man on the Moon, the Viet Nam war and the Great Society - all at the same time! He and that idiot McNamara have to take the lions share of the blame for Viet Nam
Nixon - underrated; I think people did not like him as a person and this is reflected in how they view his abilities/accomplishments in the same way people very much liked Kennedy as a person and decided that he was a great president; btw, Watergate meant he should have been kicked out, not forgetting that at all. He was extremely good at foreign affairs, possibly the best ever, but came closer to destroying the country than anyone ever - he deserves ALL the condemnation he gets.
Ford - does he have a reputation as president?; was a pleasant, bland person at a time when the country needed that after so many difficult years; I really have no sense of his accomplishments. Pardoning Nixon at the cost of his own reputation and saving the country from being torn apart by another decade of Watergate recriminations makes him deserving of respect in my book. That was true Statesmanship.
Carter - a very pleasant man but perhaps out of his depth; not very good president. Agree - Too good a man to be successful in an environment as nasty as Presidential politics. An object lesson in the REAL results of electing a non-insider.
Reagan - very much overrated; the Right needed a figurehead and he has been deified but the reality of his presidency is pretty much ignored. Agree - I said at the time that he would have made a better King than President. He had the opportunity at Reykjavik to ELIMINATE long range nukes but blew it over that stupid Star Wars program.
Bush I - I would agree with the impression here that he will be seen as better than he has been thought of since he left; not a great president but no worse than average. Agree. History will treat him quite well I think. His handling of the Gulf War was as close to perfect as was possible. He suffered from the fallout of Reagan's economic stupidity.
Clinton - I think history will see him as the superstar of this group; to consider how well he did consider the difficulties those who came after him have had in running the country; people still want to talk about his sexual history - the history books will not care about that. No superstar but pretty good
Bush II - like Carter completely over his head in the job; the difficulty was that his advisors were powerful, focussed men and knew how to use him to achieve their goals; I will be very surprised if history considers him to even approach mediocrity. Agree - he was the least competent of all the Presidents listed here. Offhand, I can't think of a single major thing he did right. I think history will put him well into the bottom 10% of all Presidents.
(I could be wrong with this and any of these judgements - perhaps future historians may find all sorts of positives about Carter)
Obama - his repuation depends on whether he gets reelected and if he does, what he achieves; so far he has appeared to be pretty much mediocre; someone who came to an alley fight but was prepared for a college seminar; could be seen as someone who was used my those around him to achieve their goals (prop up Wall Street and Big Business while pretending to care about Main Street); but again too soon to tell. He offered inspirational leadership but completely failed to deliver. I think he will be lumped in with Carter but not as good a man. If the Republicans weren't fv@king up so badly, he would be a one term wonder.
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Do those comments make me a Lib?
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"There is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats". The Water Rat from The Wind In The Willows
Sailing for 40 years in the Pacific, Atlantic, Caribbean but mostly Georgia Straight.
Currently own a Columbia 43.
Last edited by SloopJonB; 12-25-2011 at 06:08 PM.
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8Likes
This was in legitimate newspapers at the time. Don't know how the bunny climbed on board but I suspect "Jimmuh" rescued it. The POTUS being attacked by a savage bunny - how's THAT for an image of strength?
