From engaging in sexual relations with an intern to letting the Vietnam War escalate, U.S. presidents have been blamed for some egregious errors.
So who had the worst blunder? President James Buchanan, for failing to avert the Civil War, according to a survey of presidential historians organized by the University of Louisville’s McConnell Center.
The second worst mistake, the survey found, was Andrew Johnson’s decision just after the Civil War to side with Southern whites and oppose improvements in justice for Southern blacks beyond abolishing slavery.
“We continue to pay” for Johnson’s errors…
Yes, we all have suggestions about where the current President will fit in; but, you don’t expect presidential historians — even with tenure — to step out of line until they’re at a safe distance.
This is totally stupid to post here John, but I’d encourage you and all of your readers that doubt you to watch the last Diggnation episode that Kevin and Alex made yesterday. They talk about you column and I think it would help people to make it clearer what the enduser actually thinks about this. Not even Apple wonderboy, Kevin Rose is sure if he would choose OSX over Windows. I really think your column hit the audience big, but the guys that have arisen are MegaPro-Apple guys that sleep with their mac at night, not the enduser. Diggnation 34 will help people understand I think.
Or, like most reasonable people will recognize and you apparently don’t, the benefit of time and perspective since it;s literally impossible to judge a historical “blunder” while you are in the middle of it.
Weird, Clinton made the list, but everybodies favorite whipping boy, Bush didn’t. Guess he isn’t the worst President, as some have professed.
I’m not sure what they mean by Andrew Johnson’s blunder. His presidency saw a number of blacks being elected Governor, Senator,etc. He had the Feds occupying the South, and major voting rights acts were passed back then(repealed in the 1890s). Between that and James Buchanan, they seem to be applying too high a standard in hindsight. What exactly did they think lame duck and unelected James Buchanan should have done with all these seceding states? Arrest their leaders and burn down their presses? Of course if he had stopped secession, slavery would have lasted longer.
Just remember, of all the Presidents, half are below average.
There were several “blunders” that I didn’t see on the list.
John Adam’s Alien Sedition Act of 1798.
Andrew Jackson selling Presidential Appointments.
Abe Lincoln promoting Generals McClelland and Burnside to lead the Army of the Potomac.
US Grant’s “drinking problem”.
Herbert Hoover’s ignoring the plight of the unemployed during the Great Depression.
Nixon’s bombing of Cambodia.
Carter not declaring war on Iran for taking the hostages.
Plus I disagree with the #1 & 2 blunders.
No Southern state left the Union until after Lincoln’s election. If anything, blame the War Department because they didn’t move military supplies to the Northern states, an act that would have precipitated succession even quicker. Buchanan presided over a nation much more divided then today’s abortion debate is. A bad, do nothing President, but not a blunder.
Andrew Johnson refused to totally disenfranchise the majority of the Southern population. A policy that was continued by Grant and every President up until Kennedy and Lynden Johnson. It was the doctrine of States Rights. A wise idea that was hijacked by the Jim Crow laws later on. Again, not a blunder.
Poor Johnson, if history teaches us anything, follow Lincoln’s and Roosevelt’s examples.
Blunder or lead us into war, lose tens of thousands in the war, decimate the constitution, then you will be considered great.
Well, give it 10 years, and the bottom 5 will be pushed out by 5 from this administration.
– Massive tax cuts for the wealthy, unbalancing the budget far beyond it has ever been, and placing the country in basically unresolvable debt.
– Failure to take ANY actual actions on climate change, and reversing actions taken previous administrations.
– The dismantling of federal agencies to place them all under a “we care only about terrorism” uber-agency, resulting in a complete and absolute lack of preparation for any disasters of any type.
– The destruction of all American credibility with all countries.
– Iraq. Need I even explain that travesty.
Yep, the list will change radically.
As far as climate change goes, we are only one country. How about bashing south american countries for cutting down the rain forest at alarming rates. Third world countries for burning coal, China for that matter. Bush is doing something, he want nuclear power, but all the lefty hippies are against that. He wants hydrogen and hybrid cars, but this can not happen overnight. Iraq, let see, removed tyranical leader on a scale of Hitler or Stalin, as for the over all outcome of the war, we will have to see. Blaming Bush solely for Katrina, try again, sure FEMA bears a share of the blame, but how about the equally inept Mayor of New Orleans or the Gov, both Dems, who bungled the entire crisis. The debt, well you got one anyway. Jimmy, peanut brain, Carter was a far worst President that Bush, he should go on the list first.
gquaglia – I can understand your anger. It must be really painful to realize that you have been supporting what will probably go down in history as one of not only the worse leaders, but also one of the most destructive to America leaders in the history of the USA.
Your arguments are just regurgitated mush with no basis. Just some examples of your blindness: Just because other countres don’t do something about global warming, it means we don’t have to either, but we could be leaders, instead we are obstructionists. Or we can declare support for alternate fuels and hybrid, while the same week drastically cutting funding for the government agency in charge of developing the same… how is that for hypocresy? Lots of people can be blamed for Katrina, but ony one head has rolled, and he was put there by Bush in the first place. No heads have roled for the fiasco that is Iraq. The fact that Rumsfeld is still in charge is obvious proof.
Choose your motto… they are both appropriate:
“Bush administration: You want one of us to be held accountable for our mistakes?”
or:
“Bush administration: Destroying America’s future – one policy at a time.”
Only history will tell who is right.
You only make the list after your done with your term(s)
If Bush were impeached he would make the list that much sooner.
>Massive tax cuts for the wealthy, unbalancing the budget far beyond it
Tax revenues are higher than before the tax cuts. It’s spending that has unbalanced the budget. The current deficit is low as a percent of GDP, like Bill Gates taking a 100 million loan. The future deficits are mainly because of Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid and have nothing to do with tax cuts, Iraq, or spending and the problem has been building for at least 30 years.
Awake,
You clearly are anything but awake. I suspect that historians will rate Bush as an average or slightly better than average President. Many were better. Many were worse. (FYI, historians rate Clinton an average President as well). The later is more likely as he improved an economy that was hit hard by the 9/11 attacks (that tax cut you so hate) and he confronted the Middle East issue.
1. Jimmy Carter: know nothing and do even less during his term – nearly treasonous behavior afterward.
2. Bush Senior: Didn’t nuke Iraq the first time. Slag it to glass and slant drill in from the edges to get the oil.
3. Any president who would sign on to any of these global warming accords. If you have to reduce the average Americans standard of living to save the planet, it’s not worth saving.
4. All president’s since Truman: None of them have nuked anyone to shut them up.
AB CD –
Fact – the national debt now equals 50% of the national output (GNP). The USA has a national debt of 5.5 Trillion dollars. If you know anything about economics and history, then you realize what kind of pressure this will put against the dollar. Less than 50% of the debt is foreign right now, but it is getting close… once that threshold is met, the dollar could go into freefall against the world economy. We could see $300 / gallon gas, not because the price of oil would rise, because your money would become worthless since nobody in the world would want it. It happens to EVERY country with bad economic policies, extravagant spending and short term gains -vs- long term stability. And we have horrible economic policies right now… we need to go on a diet before the heart attack strikes.