Alright, so George W. Bush has the lowest approval rating ever in the history of public polling. As he's fond of saying, the previous winner, Harry S. Truman, has been looked upon far more approvingly by history, and he was involved in taking the United States into an unpopular proxy war in the midst of economic turmoil, a housing crisis, and what we would now call stagflation. So W. can't be all bad, er, right?
Before you start frantic troll-rating, let's just agree: Worst Ever. But for the basis of comparison, let's review the other candidates (below the flip) so we can put damage to the Republic, the Nation, and the Planet in appropriate context.
James Buchanan (1857-1861)
Notable achievement(s):
Obtusely, perhaps deliberately, precipitated the civil war, including failing to act against secession forces between Lincoln's election and his inauguration, aligning narrow Northern interests with slave-holding Southern interests to prevent resolution of a series of political crises. Lasting damage from the ensuing civil war lingers to this day in the form of economic disparity between regions of the county and a legacy of racism.
Possible redeeming qualities or extenuating circumstances:
The civil war might've been inevitable, anyway, and he had lots of help from Fillmore and Pierce before him. May have been our first gay President.
Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
Notable achievements:
Committed treason by selling arms to terrorists as ransom and then illegally funneling the proceeds to fund a war Congress had explicitly forbidden US partipation in. Accumulated record federal deficits. Presided over domestic epidemics in crack cocaine and HIV-AIDs. Brinksmanship nearly took the world to global thermonuclear war in 1983. Laid the groundwork for 9/11 by treating with terrorists and simultaneously engaging in dubious practices such as arming the Taliban, shooting down Iranian jetliners, and sending troops to mideast hotspots without a clear mission.
Possible redeeming qualities or extenuating circumstances:
"Won" the cold war by being the last in a long line of Presidents benefitting from Harry S. Truman's containment policy, despite his brinksmanship, in large part due to the economic collapse of the Soviet Union precipitated at long last by the Chernobyl incident. Liked jellybeans.
Andrew Johnson (1865-1869)
Notable achievements:
Alienated a united US Congress and through a completely tin political ear, managed to provoke his own impeachment and a series of draconian punitive actions towards the South that ended up in a failed reconstruction architecture. His inability to bring about a unity government following the Civil War probably shaped the tumultuous decade following, eventually ending up in the revocation of civil rights for former slaves despite the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution, creating the bitter legacy of institutional racism.
Possible redeeming qualities or extenuating circumstances:
He probably was well-intentioned, and had significant help from extremists from both sides of the aisle in creating a poisonous political atmosphere. Natty dresser.
Richard Nixon (1969-1974)
Notable achievements:
Conducted a secret undeclared war in Cambodia, escalating a regional conflict at the same time he was telling the American public he was trying to end it, resulting in hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties and paving the way for the circumstances that opened up the Cambodian genocide (resulting in millions of dead). Presided over use of covert US power to subsume democratically-elected governments, also resulting in mass-slaughter (notably in Chile). Employed wage and price controls that created an artificial set of constraints on the US economy, resulting in celebrated "stagflation" that dogged the US throughout the 1970s. Took aggressive positions on the Arab-Israeli conflict that allowed the 1973 war and resulting 1974 oil embargo that also resulted in a decade of economic turbulence. Conspired against political enemies using the machinery of government to suppress opposition, which eventually lead to his forced resignation in the face of inevitable impeachment.
Possible redeeming qualities or extenuating circumstances:
He was caught red-handed and resigned instead of delaying the inevitable even further. Liked dogs, at least Checkers.
Warren Harding (1921-23)
Notable achievements:
Presided over one of the most (hithertofore) corrupt administrations in history, including the infamous Teapot Dome scandal, in which, without competitive bidding, federally-owned oil reserves were leased to a political crony of Harding's cabinet members. Started economic policies that eventually resulted in farm recessions and the burst bubble of 1929, leading to the Great Depression. Quashed US participation in the League of Nations and took an unrealistically isolationist foreign policy following World War I while maintaining US imperialist policy for colonial interests, one of many contributing factors to World War II.
Possible redeeming qualities or extenuating circumstances:
Died in office after only two years, and he was a bit of a puffed suit, anyway, so it is actually hard to lay the blame at Harding's feet entirely. Actually paid child support to the child he fathered out of wedlock, albeit secretly.