Ranking of U.S. Presidents by historians

[UnderseaLcpl]

My nomination would be a tie between Washington and Jefferson, with Andrew Jackson as a runner-up. The steps these men took to prevent concentrations of power, even at their own expense, sets them above every other noteable president to date, imo. They were exemplary leaders in most aspects of their careers, which is more than can be said for any presidents in this century, save perhaps Wilson's efforts with the League of Nations (until the coward caved).

My least favorites include Lincoln and FDR, as both were conniving rat-bastards who purposely engineered wars without regard to the lives that would be lost to further their own agendas. I see there are fans of both here, but the first question I would ask of them is "If they were such great presidents, why did they preside over the most and second-most costly conflicts America has ever fought?" A detailed examination of their conduct in office reveals that both were, above all else, manipulators and hypocrites. It irks me that they are remembered as great leaders simply because of wartime propaganda to that effect. If any wish to challenge that belief, I have ample evidence to back it up. Name something "great" they did, and I will give you something more ignoble done under the same auspices.

I'm reserving a spot on the "least favorites" list for President Obama once the major economic effects of his reckless policies have made themselves felt, sometime between mid-2012 and 2015, sooner if he is re-elected and the Democrats retain a majority in both houses. The full effects will not be felt for between six months and a few years after that, depending upon how the global market is affected. It's something of a toss-up between "worse than now" and "another depression".