Originally Posted by Skybird

I am wondering a bit that nobody mentions Eisenhower. Popualr with democrats and republicans, needed to be pushed into politics for he did not see himself as a politician and did not wish to become president, acting as a moderate conservative who also followed democrat's thoughts. Tougher stand on military issues and knowing this very important and dominant aspect of america so damn well himself: the military, and knowing the risks for america that came from this dominant position of the military in america better than any other president since this question became valid with WWII. No NASA without him. And having been a very determined enemy against the Nazis. Admitted, he had his mistakes, too, especially with foreign politics. But almost all presidents had their failures in this regard, and many of them much more damaging than Eisenhower.

I read that only few presidents became so popular durign their reign, like eisenhower.

Kennedy: massively overestimated.

Reagan: a blender of emotions. Ruthless, and sentimental at the same time. But his emotions always appeared artifical to me - like an (bad) actor. In the movies i saw him in, he really was a mediocre actor at best indeed.

Carter: a strange mixture of realism and naivety, trapped between conscience and reality. I really think amercia should realize that it owes his reputation much more than just the cheap jokes his names usually trigger. All in all I see him much better than most people do. the Republican-Iran-deal that brought him down over the hostage crisis, once again showed the ruthlessness of Republican powerpolitics with it's many major scandals that simply outclasses democrats's records in these regards.