John's Blog

On a whim I Googled the phrase, "Worst President Ever?" just to see what came up since I'm bored and disgusted. To no surprise, Bush was at the top of the list, but what I really wanted to see was how far I'd have to drill down to hit another name. I didn't have to go too far (3rd link), till I stumbled upon a reference to Jimmy Carter. That shouldn't surprise me either, since we tend to have a very short memory when it comes to historical events, and Carter is about as far back as most people can remember. Our Iraq policy suggests that very few remember Vietnam.

You had to go pretty far down the first page till you hit Warren G. Harding, who until "W" came along pretty much "owned" this title, although James Buchanan and Herbert Hoover might have given him a run for his money. Honorable mention goes to Andrew Johnson, William Henry Harrison and Lyndon Johnson. Ironically Abe Lincoln pops up on as many of the "Worst Presidents" lists as he does the "Best Presidents" lists, with FDR having a similar divided opinion status. (And I thought the "divided nation" thing was a recent occurrence.) We'll never know where JFK might have fallen, since his assignation gives him a "bye" and moves him up the "good" list; without that bit of tragedy he might have been a contender for the "bad" list as well.

Is there a point to this? Probably not. Just venting again. Eventhough I thought I had come to terms with "W" winning a 2nd term, the parade of the Bush nominees (Rice and Gonzales specifically) and their arrogance, their lack of accountability, and their unwillingness to admit any mistakes gets me crazy. Just the slightest sign of accommodation, moderation, or an honest review of what they have done (need a refresher?) would give me hope, but this isn't happening. These are people who feel they can do no wrong, who are above reproach, who have no shame, no guilt, and circumvent the democratic process at every turn. This is hardly a proud moment for our country. Let's hope history forgives us.

Some interesting protest signs found at the coronation via Wonkette:
War Begins with W
We the People Say No to the Bush Agenda
Jesus Christ Is Not the God of War
Bush Hates America
The Search for WMD is Not a Faith-Based Initiative
What About the 98,000 Iraqi Civilian Deaths?
Evil Rules in the Land of Fools
Represent, My Ass
Thousands of Dead in Iraq, and Bush Says He's Pro-Life
A War is No Moral Value
God is Pissed
What if the Enemy Doesn't Lie in a Distant Land? What if the enemy lies Behind the Command?
Impeach Bush