I bought the new book, "Presidential Greatness" for a seminar I'm leading on
the topic. This is the latest of a number of books on the subject written in
the past 20 years. While many historians (you know, the people who actually
study this stuff and become experts) feel that this rating stuff trivializes
the subject, many others participated. For example, "Greatness in the White
House" (survey in 1982, my edition 1988) gathered survey data from several
hundred historians, the first truly broad survey conducted using scientific
methods.

Many others have been conducted over the years, some merely anecdotal,
others a bit deeper. "Rating the Presidents" (2000) fell into the anecdotal
side, as does "Presidential Greatness." Some of the surveys have been
accused of selection bias in choosing historians whom have liberal
viewpoints, but the three mentioned here are are more balanced, with "Rating
the Presidents" perhaps tending to the left more than the other two.

"Presidential Leadership" is definitely not liberal. Its editors are a
writer for the Wall Street Journal and the Exec. VP of the Federalist
Society, which is "committed to limited, constitutional government as
envisioned by the framers of the Constitution." (from the jacket) Its
writers include a few professional historians and the rest range from former
Attorney Genral to interns.

"Greatness in the White House" (1982) necessarily excludes Reagan, Clinton
and the Bushes. Rating the Presidents" (2000) includes Clinton.
"Presidential Leadership" (2004) discusses but does not rate George W. Bush
because his term is not complete.

In EVERY survey I have ever seen, scientific or anecdotal, right or left,
popular or professional, three presidents are rated at the top: Washington,
Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt. Despite its political orientation,
"Presidential Leadership" puts Roosevelt at #3. Others rated highly are
Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Jackson, Polk and Wilson. Newcomers to the
higher rankings are Truman, Eisenhower, and Reagan.

"Rating the Presidents" puts Mr. Reagan at #26 of 41, while "Presidential
Leadership" puts him at #8 of 39. The latter did not rate several presidents
for various reasons.

Personally I think that rating any president within 25 years of the end of
his term in office is presumtuous, since the historical perspectives ar
lacking. The entire Fall of Communism issue is an example; we simply don't
have enough information to make a judgment.

Bob

P.S. "Rating the Presidents" puts Clinton at #23 of 41 and "Presidential
Greatness" puts him at #24 of 39.


"Doug Miller" wrote in message
news
In article ,
(Fred the Red Shirt) wrote:
Tim Daneliuk wrote in message
...
Ronald Reagan was not FDR.


Right - RR fought, and ultimately was the precipitating cause of the
demise
of, Communism, while FDR openly harbored Communists within his
government ...

The people most respnsible for the fall of communism in Europe
are the communists themselves, though Lech Walesa sped the
process along. Calling on Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin
wall is not what made it happen.

No, but forcing them into an arms race that their economy could not
sustain
DID. Even the Russians admit this. Too bad you're so blinded by your
ideology
that you can't.

I dunno if FDR harbored communists in his administration or not.

You just might be the only person in the US who's unaware of that.

I do know that in WWII the communists were our allies

Utter nonsense. We were fighting a common enemy. In no way were we
"allies".

and there is
no law against being a communist, nor against having communists in
one's administration,

Common sense would suggest that known enemy agents should be discharged
from
the administration, rather than promoted.

nor should one believe that communists are
inherently less loyal to their nations than people of any other
political persuation.

You're *clearly* totally ignorant of what communism is all about.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)

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