Ok, we've had discussions here on how the best President was. And we've had discussions on who the worst were. But what I want to know is your opinion - all of you, loyal Tenth Planeters - I want to know your opinion on all of the Presidents, from Washington to Clinton.

George W. Bush is not ranked in this as he is the incumbent, and besides, he gets enough debate in other threads. I want this to allow the lesser knowns a chance in the spotlight, as well as of course the legends of past.

So if you could put each of the previous 42 US Presidents under one of the following categories and give reasons why you have done so. It would help increase my analysis of reception and legacy I'm doing.

LEGENDARY
GREAT
VERY GOOD
GOOD, BUT SHOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER
GOOD, BETTER THAN EXPECTED
UNINSPIRING
BAD
TERRIBLE

And here are my picks to get the show on the road.


LEGENDARY
- Washington (The Precedent creator, the first, establisher of civil government in the US and a fine dancer too. Had a lovely horse)

Lincoln (Won the Civil War, the Emancipation Declaration, The Gettysberg Address, some of the finest speeches/writings on civil liberty and social inclusion ever, and a good sense of humour to boot. Need I say more?)

Theodore Roosevelt (A hawk who won the Nobel Peace Prize, a hunter who started the great conservationist movement, a Republican who started the greatest social reforms since Lincoln. Gave his name to Teddy Bears. Panama Canal. Prevented the destruction of the Grand Canyon. Architect of the Square deal. Advocate for the working classes against the buisness owners. Ended railroad and transportation monopolosation. Personally ending the 1902 coal strike. Passed the Pure Food laws. Trust buster. The 1906 Meat Inspection Act. National forests and parks. Protected wildlife species. Spoke out against racism. Had black leaders at the White House for the first time in history. Opposed school segregation. Expanded the US Navy. And one hell of a legit tough guy too, see his reaction to the attempted assassination of 1912. Undoubtedly one of the most important Presidents the country has ever seen.)

F.D. Roosevelt (The New Deal, "Only thing we have to fear is fear itself", inspired a generation, got US out of the Depression and helped win the Second World War)

VERY GOOD
James K Polk (established the Independant Treasury system, added Oregon, New Mexico and California to the union to fufil the "Manifest Destiny", reduced taxes)

William McKinley (Brought about Agricultural and Economic revival, brought Hawaii into the Union to end the troubles of the 1890s over it, created a more flexible Civil service, Won the SPanish war, Opposed said War until concentration camps came into the mix, took a stand against Hearst)

Truman (Marshall Plan, social reform, Hiroshima and Nagosaki a blemish but one of the hardest decisions ever needed to be taken by a President. Did well with his unexpected promotion to the Presidency)

GOOD, BUT SHOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER
John Adams (The Aliens and Seditions Act was a terrible blunder, but standing up to his party hawks, avoiding war with France and possibly saving the Republic in the process deserves recognition)

Thomas Jefferson (The Embargo Act was silly, Slave trade compromise did little, Louisiana Act though important to the US was a betrayal of his own political beliefs in small government)

Monroe (created the state line that was to lead to Civil War, the Monroe doctrine, felt social improvement policies were unconstitutional)

Andrew Johnson (Changed his mind and went against his party to promote leniency to the South, however did little to protect the ex-slaves)

Ulysses S Grant (crushed the Ku Klux Klan, looked to be a possible Great Reformer and Social President ala Gladstone, but was myred by scandal upon scandal)

Garfield (Took on Roscoe Conkling over the administration of the US, and won. How different the US would be if Conkling had won. Also strove for closer ties with Latin America. Then got shot, which wasn't his fault, but stops him from possibly became a great President. Definetly the signs were there.)

Grover Cleveland (A reformist who relied too heavily on the veto in his first term, 2nd term punctuated by economic depression, cancer scares and the formation of Team America: World Police!)

Woodrow Wilson (An intellectual idealist stimmied by naivity, human nature and a stroke in his second term)

Eisenhower (Social changes happened under him, but he seemed a bit too resistant of them)

Kennedy (Avoided nuclear war, apologised)

Lyndon B Johnson (War on poverty, civil rights, medicare, space race, Vietnam blemishes his record)

Clinton
Bush Snr.

GOOD, BETTER THAN EXPECTED
Chester A Arthur (Rose from the corrupt civil service to VP to Presidency within 2 years, then turned on his former friends and promoted Civil Service reform and stamped out corruption in selection policies. Established the Greenwich Meridian. Kept going despite knowing he was probably dying)

Benjamin Harrison (The Dependant and Disability Pension Act, narrowly avoided war with Chile)

Calvin Coolidge (President of the "Roaring Twenties". Opposed child labour. Work wages and hours legisalation. Lowered the tax burden. Reluctant to enter foreign policy. Dealt with the 1927 Great Mississippi Flood badly. Got out at the best possible time.)

Reagan - didn't do too badly.

UNINSPIRING
Zachary Taylor (The Compromise of 1850, scandal, then died)

John Tyler (Never taken seriously, was expelled from his party and ended up on the Veto bandwagon)

Millard Fillmore (Started the first White House Library, set up California as a free state and abolished slave trade in district of Colombia as well as opened up Japan to Western trade. However, signed the Fugitive Slave Act)

Taft (reneged a lot of what Roosevelt had set up)

Harding (scandal, scandal, too fearful to abolish lynching despite wanting to, died)

Hoover (Just the wrong man at the wrong time)

Gerald Ford (By all accounts a completly likeable and amiable man, just not one who should have become President. Haunted by his falls and his pardon of Nixon)

Jimmy Carter

BAD
Madison (tried to finance a war without a bank, lost that war massively, was forced out of Washington by an invading country, saw the Presidential palace burn to the ground, and generally tried to wage a Naval war with about 6 ships against one of the best Navys in the world)

Van Buren (Stuck with the depression caused by Jackson, the Caroline Affair, stood by as Missouri attempted widespread murder against Mormons, not terrible however since most of his problems were outwith his own control)

William Henry Harrison (Died in 40 days, we all know that, but caved it into Henry Clay on the only decision he ever made as President, Congress' economic agenda, suggesting he wouldn't have been all that hot anyway. Plus, his curse got 4 of the more Progressive Presidents assassinated!)

Franklin Pierce (Started the move to the Civil War, but really of the all people on this list below good, he's the one I have most sympathy for. He never wanted the job, got forced into running, was one of the most popular people in the country on entering the Presidency and one of the most loathed on leaving, tried to appease everyone but appeased no one, lost his only surviving child right before his Inaugeration and crumbled into depression, alcoholism and possible insanity for the rest of his life. A bad Presidency, but the man was far too fragile to have been put in the position "for the good of his country.")

Rutherford Hayes (Got in corruptly, had strikers shot dead, repealed civil liberties)

TERRIBLE
Quincy Adams (A first class diplomat, but a lousy President. Got in on the "Corrupt Bargain" with Henry Clay, never managed to impliment any of his policies and was essentially a lameduck from his inaugeration onwards. Also signed the Tarif of Abominations into law.)

Jackson (Inadvertantly caused the 1837 economic depression, tried to abolish the electoral college, created the Trail of Tears in spite of the Supreme Court, and was possibly insane with rage at his opponents over the death of his wife in 1828 election campaign)

Buchannan (A scary looking man who started the Civil War through his inactions)

Nixon (Evil)