5 Wash Post Editorials Discuss Is Bush the Worst President Ever?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/4/06 at 8:04am

"He's Only Fifth Worst" by Michael Lind

"At Least He's Not Nixon" by David Greenberg

"Time's On His Side" by Vincent J. Cannato

"He's The Worst Ever" by Eric Foner

"Move Over, Hoover" by Douglas Brinkley

Here's a synopsis from RawStory. Links to the five editorials can be found at the RawStory link at the bottom.

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Five editorials in Sunday's edition of The Washington Post argue whether or not George W. Bush is the worst president ever.

As Editor & Publisher notes, "The Washington Post editorial page has been a strong backer of the Iraq war from the beginning," and the five editorials "may set off an intriguing debate, pro and con."

In one editorial, Michael Lind, a Whitehead senior fellow at the New America Foundation, argues that it's "unfair" to call Bush the worst, since the policies of presidents James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Richard M. Nixon and James Madison "were even more disastrous."

"By contrast, George W. Bush has inadvertently destroyed only Baghdad, not Washington, and the costs of the Iraq war in blood and treasure are far less than those of Korea and Vietnam," Lind writes.

"He's Only Fifth Worst" by Michael Lind can be read at this link.

Rutgers University professor David Greenberg agrees that Bush ranks ahead of Nixon, but adds that "it's conceivable that the consequences of the invasion of Iraq may prove more destructive than those of Nixon's stubborn continuation of the Vietnam War."

"Should those things happen, Bush will be able to lay a claim to the mantle of U.S. history's worst president," Greenberg writes. "For now, though, I'm sticking with Dick."

"At Least He's Not Nixon" by David Greenberg can be read at this link.

On the other hand, University of Massachusetts professor Vincent J. Cannato, believes that it's too early to tell, and slams the "left-leaning historical profession" for rushing to judgement.

"Much of Bush's legacy will rest on the future trajectory of the fight against terrorism, the nation's continued security and the evolving direction of the Middle East," Cannato writes. "Things may look grim today, but that doesn't ensure a grim future."

Cannato admits that he "worked briefly as a speechwriter in 2001" for the Bush Administration.

"Time's On His Side" by Vincent J. Cannato can be read at this link.

The last two contributors both rank Bush at the bottom.

Columbia University professor Eric Foner notes that although it's "impossible to say with certainty how Bush will be ranked in, say, 2050...somehow, in his first six years in office he has managed to combine the lapses of leadership, misguided policies and abuse of power of his failed predecessors."

"I think there is no alternative but to rank him as the worst president in U.S. history," Foner writes.

"He's The Worst Ever" by Eric Foner can be read at this link.

But historian and author Douglas Brinkley isn't ready to commit to Bush being the absolute worst, though he believes that he "has joined Hoover as a case study on how not to be president."

"Though Bush may be viewed as a laughingstock, he won't have the zero-integrity factors that have kept Nixon and Harding at the bottom in the presidential sweepstakes," Brinley writes.

"Move Over, Hoover" by Douglas Brinkley can be read at this link.

Washington Post editorials debate if Bush is worst president ever

Updated On: 12/4/06 at 08:04 AM

Posted: 12/4/06 at 9:02am

I love how even the former speechwriter (Who says Buch is Not the worst) allows that right now, his presidency looks grim. He can't even muster a decent list of accomplishments!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/4/06 at 9:37am

Every time I think of the phrase "Move Over, Hoover!" I smile.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 12/4/06 at 9:43am

Yes, but Nixon, at least, has some sort of dramatic appeal. I view his life like a classic Greek tragedy. He had this uncanny ability to rise to power--even after abject failure--and then bring about his own downfall every time. There's a reason he is the subject of plays, films and unforgettable comedy sketches (e.g., Madeline Kahn as Pat Nixon writing in her diary on SNL).

Plus, his career had an utterly incomparable climax and a supporting player who is also one of the most fun to impersonate: Watergate and Kissinger.

Bush is not even that interesting. I suppose, in a way, there is something worse than being deemed "worst."

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/4/06 at 10:50am

I love that these editorials are reviving interest in Andrew Johnson, James Madison and muy own personal favorite bad president: James Buchanan. Historians say that "confirmed bachelor" James Buchanan was gay. (I've heard that his friends called him "Daisy" --but I don't think that's true.)

Buchanan lived for 15 years with Senator William Rufus King--including while he was in the White House! Newspapers of the time made fun of the two men, and Andrew Jackson once called Senator King "Miss Nancy" and "Aunt Fancy." Now that's pretty gay. Around Washington, the pair were known as "Siamese twins," which apparently was a derogatory slang expression at the time for gay.

When Aunt Fancy died, Buchanan went into a deep depression and further neglected the duties of office, at which he had never been especially good to begin with. His lack of leadership pushed the country closer and closer to the eventual Civil War.

Updated On: 12/4/06 at 10:50 AM

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 12/4/06 at 11:13am

According to my husband, the worst president was Pierce, who, by the way, is a Bush ancestor!

[Bluemoon]

Posted: 12/4/06 at 11:31am

The anecdotal evidence seems to prove that Buchanan and King were, indeed, a couple. But King died in 1853 - several years before Buchanan was elected President. Buchanan's blunders can be chalked up to his ineptitude more than grief.

And, as a bit of a threadjack, King was nominated and elected as Vice President when he was terminally ill. He took the oath of office in Cuba, where he had gone to seek a miracle cure. He died 45 days later at his home - never having gotten to Washington.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/4/06 at 11:42am

Oops--my bad. They lived together for 16 years in Washington but not in the White House.

[Bluemoon]

Posted: 12/4/06 at 12:08pm

Truth be told, I wouldn't know that much about it if I wasn't married to a historian. They talk in their sleep, you know.