Worst. President. Ever?
By Steve Benen Thursday Apr 03, 2008 7:35amThe History News Network (HNN) conducted an unscientific poll of professional historians to compare their sense of George W. Bush's presidency to that of contemporary public opinion. The poll's flaws notwithstanding, Bush didn't do very well.
In an informal survey of 109 professional historians conducted over a three-week period through the History News Network, 98.2 percent assessed the presidency of Mr. Bush to be a failure while 1.8 percent classified it as a success.
Asked to rank the presidency of George W. Bush in comparison to those of the other 41 American presidents, more than 61 percent of the historians concluded that the current presidency is the worst in the nation’s history. Another 35 percent of the historians surveyed rated the Bush presidency in the 31st to 41st category, while only four of the 109 respondents ranked the current presidency as even among the top two-thirds of American administrations.
At least two of those who ranked the current president in the 31-41 ranking made it clear that they placed him next-to-last, with only James Buchanan, in their view, being worse. “He is easily one of the 10-worst of all time and—if the magnitude of the challenges and opportunities matter—then probably in the bottom five, alongside Buchanan, Johnson, Fillmore, and Pierce,” wrote another historian.
Bush probably would have done even worse, but some historians thought it best to wait for hindsight. One told HNN, “It is a bit too early to judge whether Bush's presidency is the worst ever, though it certainly has a shot to take the title. Without a doubt, it is among the worst.”
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THE WORST EVAR
Why is this man still president?...he's getting away with murder..
Activist historians!
In fact, historians are actually scrambling to create whole new categories to describe Bush.
And Bush couldn't care less about these findings......so what's the point? We already know he's the absolute WORST president since the birth of the US.
Worst Congress Ever as well. Their complicity is simply amazing.
He's actually the first president of the non-constitution based United States of North America.
Bush needs a new category in this ranking. 'Worst' doesn't really describe just how bad he is.
Bush is the 'shittiest' President ever.
Pffft. Don't need no historians to tell me that! Derrrr!
He is an insult to born again Christians.
The historian that ranked Bush in the top third, put McKinley first, stating that he should've been allowed to run for a third term.
We get what we deserve.
We haven't even made a half-assed effort to get rid of him. Dead bodies piling up, the world's economy teetering on the edge, the Constitution in tatters, countless American lives and even an American city in ruins - and the best we can do is be happy he's leaving soon?
We could have gotten rid of him and Cheney years ago if we had half the cahones that Cheney has.
Meanwhile, their looting of what's left of our country will continue until they are forcibly removed.
Well, 73 percent of Americans KNEW this for the last .... oh ... 7 years maybe?
Most destructive president in history too. He might some day be called the most criminal president in history also.
Heck of a legacy, george!
Um, Woodrow Wilson, anyone? Created the Fed and the income tax, and intervened into WWI, which led directly to WWII?
roooth @ 12:
If we elected more Democrats in 2006 who had the cajones and were willing to do what needs to be done, Bush or Cheney would be gone. Instead, we've got Nancy "Impeachment off the table" Pelosi, Harry "Joe Lieberman Jr." Reid, and people like Jim Webb, who swore that, once elected, were going to do something about the criminal regime in the White House. What did Webb do? Voted for immunity for the telecomm industry. The Democratic Party leadership in the Senate should have stripped Joe Lieberman of his seniority and seats on various committees - they did not. Instead they kept talking about their good friend Joe, even as he aligned himself with his GOP patrons time and time again. So why is Bush still in office? Because the Democrats apparently still want him there.
John @ 15:
Bush's legacy building isn't over yet.
"98.2 percent assessed the presidency of Mr. Bush to be a failure while 1.8 percent classified it as a success."
This fits exactly with republican policies favoring the top 1%.
seele @ 18:
I guess that 1.8% is consists of Fred Kagan and Victor Davis Hansen.
Bush is an insult to President Buchanan... but Bush could do ONE THING to make his popularity SKYROCKET to maybe 50% approval: admit he failed at everything, and then he and Cheney resign. People, including many intelligent people would actually RESPECT that, and his approval would go up. But Bush has no ability to admit any wrongdoing, ever.
So he, the nation, and the world, will continue on the decline. Fast.
Very fast.
pissed off patricia @ 14:
So many possiblilties:
Worst Excuse for a President?
Worst Possible President Ever?
Worst Possible President Ever, Now or in the Future?
Worst Person in the World, Ever?
Worst Douchbag Sociopath Failed Frat-boy Ever to Ruin a (once) Great Country?
However:
Best Candidate to Succeed Hitl*r, Ever.
I'm no 'miss cleo' but I could have told you this during the primary in 2000.
I thought I caught an error with the "other 41 presidents" line for a sec. Forgot about two-timing Cleveland.
Sean Willentz (before he became a shill for Hillary) wrote a piece like this for "Rolling Stone" way back in 2006.
I believe Barbara Bush is related to Fillmore, some of those gene's came shining through.
MargeAggedon @ 22:
Especially when Rick Mercer told him that Canadian Prime Minister Jean "Poutine" supported him. Didnt think the Doofus would ever get to wreak as much havoc as he did tho. (Or get elected for that matter)
This is Poutine:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine
John @ 15:
Compared to the blatant murdering festering wound on the American psyche that is Bush and his accomplices, Wilson was a piker, a rank amatuer.
And your leaving out the evil factor. Bush is an evil man. He has been evil since long before he became president.
He is a genocidal psychopath. Americans who don't want to acknowledge that we are enabling him as surely as the Germans enabled Hitler.
Just because the Bush Administration and our complicit media doesn't want to report how many deaths we are responsible for in Iraq doesn't mean it hasn't happened. We have caused a genocide in a country that did not, and could not, threaten us. All based on Bush's insanity, lies, and arrogance.
He is evil and he has done evil in our name. And we're still letting him.
And we are still letting him even though we know.
Sadly, he still has time to do worse.
Forget the ?
THE WORST PRESIDENT EVER....
earl @ 21:
The comparison to little schicklgruber is apt except that the german dictator was a better speaker and clearly had a higher IQ. So even when compared against that previous anti-christ heir shrub is left wanting.
.8% is for margin of error.
earl @ 26:
:D
Dood, I'm Canadian. ;)
In a way this is very telling. Tho they are only related by marriage - see Pierce. He is an ancestor of Barbara Bush. Cousin of something. Now this relationship of Barbara Bush to Franklin Pierce is really a cousin to cousin relationship. It's not like the stupid butts in this country who are falling all over themselves to claim "cousinship" to obama. With all the people claiming relationship to him. His mothers relations must have had as many wives as obama's father.
FYI - that 1.8%
Just found out 'the Internets'
“It is a bit too early to judge whether Bush’s presidency is the worst ever, though it certainly has a shot to take the title. Without a doubt, it is among the worst.”
That's too freaking funny. What a legacy. An incompetant liar and a fake christain. He has not only committed treason here but has violated international treaties concerning human rights violations and crimes against humanity. What a guy.
I guess bush would tell you that becoming the worst president ever is hard work. But you got to give him credit, he earned this title.
MargeAggedon @ 32:
Moi aussi.
Marge @ 33:
How many wives did Obama's father have? Just curious if you know.
MargeAggedon @ 30:
I was only thinking that the comparison would be that in the future (if there is one)
when the name Bu$h is invoked, the arguement has to cease.
earl @ 37:
I just meant that I knew what the poutine is :D
My 'merikan hubby has yet to try it. I'm sure I can convince him eventually. After all I've had biscuits and gravy for breakfast. It's only fair.
Don Davis @ 4:
I like the idea of judging a president by those he picks to serve. Washington picked Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and Henry Knox. That would be like a president today picking the head of the banking industry, the head of the unions (when the head of the unions still worked for the common workers) and the leading military general for his cabinent. Then, make them all work together to in semi-harmony and listening to them and then making up his mind based on their advise and his own viewpoints.
Compared to that line-up, Bush is picked hacks, crooks, and idiots.
Worst in the last hundred years fer sure.
Beyond that my history gets a little sketchy. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt because it's theoretically possible that a bigger sh*thead got elected in the first 130 years.
MargeAggedon @ 40:
Its kind of like Paris Hilton for me, I never wanted to now about it either.
Michael M. @ 10:
No ,he's just an insult.
There's a lady who calls in to Washing Journal on c-span. She always begins her comments by saying that george bush is an honorable man and he is doing what is best for this country. I'm beginning to wonder if she might be laura or babs.
Hello, Canada?
I'm still waiting for your invading forces - with open arms!
Please Canada - help us! We'll give you either 48-50 more provinces or you just lump us into regions if you'd like.
We will even begin learning French if you'll just SAVE US!
I'm f-ing serious!
pissed off patricia @ 36:
Yes it's much harder than dying an horrible death in an unnecessary war.
Who are these stupid motherf******s who think he's not the worst, that's what I want to know.
Sorry Bud,
If the US was in a hospital it would say DNR on the door...
earl @ 50:
What will it take? I'll saw off Texas and Florida, and pave Wyoming as a parking lot - will that help?
John @ 15:
You can hardly blame him for WW2, that was the unreasonable demands from French and British governments back then, who demanded that Germany should pay the entire cost of the war, on both sides, which resulted in massive reparations, inflation and a fertile base in Germany where the ideas and ideology of fascism and strong leadership, compared to "weak and liberal" politicians, who "lost the war for us" would gain support.
As for income tax, try to look to western Europe, as to how it should be spent, rather than whine about its presence.
The Fed, well, to privatize the control of money in a nation...,
I'll let you keep that one.
Yet, nobody demanded their resignations and they get a free pass.
When you a miserable failure at your job, you get fired.
"What Is He Hiding? McCain Delays Release Of Medical Records Again"
Uh oh. I am guessing McWar has the big c.
Bud @ 51:
Should probly start with who SHOULD come up (think it'd be a shorter list)
I see that the National Review, has done a hit (slime) job on Obamas wife. The rightwing crooks will now add this to the Rev Wright bullshit, to attack Obama.
getalife @ 53:
STDs? Maybe he didn't drink enough bleach.
To be fair, I don't think Bush can be accurately compared to the weak presidents of the 19th century (the ones between Jackson and Lincoln and between Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt) because back then, presidents were expected to be weak and do-nothing. Today, presidents are expected to be activists- and W certainly has been that, in turning the country into an authoritarian banana republic. He is a bad president not because he did little, like those 19th century ones or Harding, Coolidge and Hoover, but because he did a lot- a lot of bad.
How proud <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Bush must be. Not only is her son one of the worst presidents in history, but so his her ancestor Franklin Pierce. Thanks to Robert Wuhl for pointing this out!
Terry740 @ 48:
Remember bush said there was something romantic about fighting on the front lines. Of course he has no idea about what it's like to fight on the front line of anything. He also has no idea what it means to take responsibility for his actions either, since his dad has always bailed his ass out of every one of his failed endeavors.
This time his dad can't bail him out and we will be left with all the damage.
"Buchanan, Johnson, Fillmore, and Pierce"
Which "Johnson"? Andrew "impeached" Johnson or Lydon "Vietnam" Johnson?
earl @ 54:
Good point - I'd like an application, please...
And I'll saw off Florida just for good measure -
geneHUSSEIN214 @ 16:
Everything you say is true. but in the back of my head I hear the voices of those who were willing to fight and die to make a country of rules, not rulers. A country where no one is above the law, and where, if necessary, it is not just the right, but the obligation of the people to rise up, and revolt if necessary, to preserve the ideals this country was founded on.
They understood that the temptation for abuse of power would always exist. That's why they believed in the necessity for an educated activist citizenry, which would always be the final, ultimate check and balance against a government gone wrong.
All our rights are worthless if we aren't just as willing to stand up and fight for them as the founders of this nation were. But nobody wants to risk losing their confortable lifestyle to fight against the entrenched power of the arrogant despot. And look what's happeing - surprise, surprise, millions of Americans are losing that lifestyle anyway.
You can't appease a murdering psychopath and think you'll be safe. You'll still be his victim, it may just take a while longer to get to you.
They have 9 months left to finish gutting everything they can get their hands on - and setting it up so they can keep on looting and pillaging behind the scenes after they leave in Jan.
IF they leave. I personally won't believe it until I see it. They've ignored every other part of the Constitution they haven't felt like abiding by, and the President has given himself his own personal mercenary army, one he has already used in this country against American citizens. Why would we think he'll leave? Because he said so? The liar says he'll do something, so it must be true? Every other president left when he was supposed to, so this one will too?
What other president has broken as many laws and subverted the Constitution the way this one has? Why would anyone trust him to start obeying anything other than his own inflated ego now?
What psychopath, what abuser, what serial murderer has ever just quit? Just said, OK, I've killed enough, stolen enough, destroyed enough? What despot or dictator has ever said, I've had enough with the power thing, I'm giving it all up?
Here's a hypothetical for you: Obama gets elected and then gets taken out before being sworn in. What then? Martial law and no transfer of power? Think it can't happen? Think again.
You all can keep on telling yourselves that at least there's only ___ number of days left until he's gone. I don't think we can afford to wait or to trust someone so eminently untrustworthy to suddenly keep their word when there is so much at stake for them.
Investigate Indict Impeach Imprison - Take back our country while we still can.
I'm waiting for the next attack on Amurikka so he can declare martial law and stay in Power like Musharraf.
While I'd love to give him the benefit of the doubt, that good men are sometimes pushed to do bad things that are necessary, there has been nothing necessary about his "let them eat cake" attitude towards the military, Constitution, Katrina victims and economy. There is no question that this Yee-haw, smirking pseudo-cowboy is the worst President on record. Sure others may have been clueless and fumbling but the next President could clean up the mess in one term. These debacles will last several Presidencies.
Bush was like the rowdy frat boy that you gave the keys to the house. He didn't just stain the carpet, or make a mess in the kitchen. He dropped the master bathroom into the basement, ripped the front off the house and tried to park a monster truck in the garage. Good luck to the next owner.
Bud @ 51:
Would you mind sawing off Florida right now and give us a head start to maybe float to the Bahamas or somewhere nice like that?
MargeAggedon @ 30:
the german dictator was a better speaker.
Here's the wierd thing about Bush - and it's really an indication of the depth of his evil insanity. If you look at what he says, not through the lens of our values, but at face value as a reflection of what he actually does, he very frequently seems to be deliberately appearing to mangle or mispeak when he is actually saying exactly what he means. We just can't believe it, so we call it mispeaking.
Where are all those defenders of bush being the greatest president since ray-gun?
pissed off patricia @ 64:
Maybe we could get the Bahamas to invade? :)
Bud @ 61:
As your Illustrious pResident would say: "Ah'd pre-she-ate thet".
Could you try and make sure Jeb and Kat Harris are real close to the saw ...?
suppose its safer for jobs and tenures to hold back on criticism and detailed muckraking until the Repugs are powerless to retribute,
explains the cowardliness or caution of some Congresscritters too.
Bushco has shown its able to stoop below and beyond Nixon in its badness.
Bud @ 67:
That might work too.
seele @ 31:
HA!
Bush had help destroying our economy. NAFTA was a gift from Bill and Hillary. Hillary has been caught lying about NAFTA- share this video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BrPZYbCdJ4
Chop off most of our state here in Florida, but could you leave the panhandle still attached to the mainland. Scarborough lives in the panhandle as do all the people who love him, Harris and all the other nut jobs. We'll give any liberals in the panhandle a twenty four hour notice and they can hop on before we set sail.
pissed off patricia @ 70:
Ah, but the Bahamas would have to give up all that corpate and drug money they have been laundering.
Bush has until January 2009 to earn a 100% "worst ever" rating, and I wouldn't put it past him. He can do a lot more damage between now and then.
So we all agree that Chimpy Mc Fuckup is the very worst ever. Lets examine the reasons for the non action aka impeachment on the Dems side. This President passed the blowjob bad point 8 years ago.
What are the Dems afraid of ? Are they afraid that full disclosure of BushCos crimes will implicate them as enablers ? Does Cheney show up and whisper "anthrax.. who wants some ? " in their ears whenever the Pukes are in trouble ? Are the Dems full of non partisan, nationalistic pride which tells them that world disclosure of BushCo crimes would be bad for America in the eyes of the world ? ( Too late for that anyways. ) Has Bushes illegal wiretaps gotten the "goods" on some of their private affairs ? Surely there has to be some reason they allow this criminal cabal to thrive .
It seems to be a prevailing thought that its best to ride out the storm and not anger President Petulant Asshole and Heartless Dick ( or Dickless Heart if you prefer).
I will include the link to video where Ralph Nadar reads a letter from Congressman John Oliver D-MA explaining the lack of impeachment. It would seem that BushCo has the martial law gun loaded and pointed at America and they are just waiting for any half assed excuse to fire it. My inner self tells me that they will find that bullshit reason and declare martial law anyways before November.Why not follow the Bush doctrine and just pre empt them and drag them away in shackles before they do destroy what they already havent ?
Here is a quote from the Washington Post aka USA Pravda.
"That is the problem Bush faces as he prepares to deliver his seventh and probably final State of the Union address tonight".
Notice the "probably" and ask yourself if they already know something we dont ?
Troubled times indeed.
Here is the link to Nadar video for those who haven't already seen it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIO-tCPSfHA
SpankyTheMonkey @ 5:
Of course he doesn't care, he's a sociopath. In his disturbed mind, he's a success. Remember, this turd was the only MLB owner opposing re-alignment and inter-league play. He said he'd be proven right, which is the same thing he said about every business he ever bankrupted.
Just wait for Bush and his brownshirts to take over the country in a bloody civil war this January. Don't forget that the 28-33% who still approve of him are the majority of gun owners in this nation. Don't forget also that our all-volunteer military usually attracts the sorts whose political views would fit into that 28-33%.
...Dumb afterthought That topic-header is -and then to waste the time to put a question mark after it?
How will history treat DickHead Darth Cheney, Rummy, Wolfie, Condie, Rove and the BoyWonder and all the rest of these rotten-from-the core-out apples? Considering all the complicity it took to get US here where they wanted; These thieves have Random House and Rupert and a majority of print media (and radio voices) all cheering for them, and enabling them.
History is written by the victor...
Hopefully some truth will win out.
Worst president ever: Jackson. Call Bush whatever you want, but at least he wasn't genocidal. I'm in the "it's too early to tell" camp, though the chances Bush might redeem himself are next to nothing, but honestly, he's not so bad. We only think he is because we're actually paying attention every day through blogs and media. The "good" presidents have also done some pretty horrible stuff. Polk annexed Mexico; McKinley invaded the Spanish colonies for no reason; Teddy Roosevelt was a total imperialist; Franklin Roosevelt put the Japanese in concentration camps; there have been wars fought by the US and the CIA -- remember Nixon and Reagan -- that have been much worse than the Iraq war, morally, though they may have been better run. Kennedy, hero for being killed, had his Bay of Pigs; Lincoln, hero for being killed (I'm not going to give him credit for the Emancipation, since the radical Republican Congress would have done that anyway), had his incredibly disastrous war that tore the nation asunder, complete with a host of incompetent generals, that could have cost us the country and perpetuated slavery even longer. As far as suckiness goes, Bush does not own it all, not by a long shot; we can just see him a lot better than we could his predecessors, and we also can't find any good things about his presidency (he allowed 9/11/01, for instance) to counteract the negatives. FDR may have forcibly removed the Japanese from their homes and businesses, he may have taken entirely too long to act against the Nazis, but he did start the New Deal that radically changed our country for the better. Bush... Yeah, I got nothin'.
those historians are activists!!!
pissed off patricia @ 73:
Personally, I say make the cut around Okeechobee/Indian River County and push us off near the Bahamas. Leave Disney Dollars to the rednecks, but give us Lake O.
fastfeat @ 82:
Wow, you and I must live near one another. I'm south of Indian River County.
Bud @ 46:
Unfortunately our forces and gov't have pretty much been usurped in a bloodless coop brought to you by a pipeline of conservotard money pumped in to our own conservotard party's coffers.
Have you seen THIS little bit of news?
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=403d90d6-7a61-41ac-8cef-...
A cause for concern I suspect.
pissed off patricia @ 83:
I was in Loxahatchee (Palm Beach Co), but, unfortunately, just had to move to Dade Co. Couldn't afford the commute any longer. Thank you GWB...
In other news...
Bears shit in the woods. Story at 10:00.
Worst President Ever
unindicted war criminal and domestic terrorist
Keep in mind that previously a survey showed that only 1.5% of historians considered George W. Bush's presidency a success. With a move up from 1.5% to 1.8%, George W. Bush has received commendation from 20% more historians than he did beforehand.
Just think, if he continues to receive such appreciation, well before his great-great grandchildren are buried, he may come to be held in as high regard as Millard Filmore and James Buchanan. Perhaps some may be perceive his presidency to be superior to his father's, just like the Christian far right does today.
The Christian far right holds George W. Bush in high regard, with good reason. What U.S. President has inspired people to prayer, any where near as much as George W. Bush?
People around the world pray for George W. Bush everyday. Christians and Buddhists and Muslims and Pagans, everybody around the world prays for George W. Bush. Citizens of the world did not pray for Bill Clinton any where near as much as they pray for George W. Bush. He has inspired our world to prayer, like nobody else in the 21st century.
Let us pray for our country and our world to never again need to become so inspired.
Pierce and Buchanan had Bush's ineptitude, but without his arrogance.
Andrew Johnson had Bush's arrogance and stubbornness, but without his stupidity.
Carter had Bush's