US presidents. in OD

In Naomi Klein’s book No Logo, Ted Turner is quoted as having said, “I said ‘Let’s try and undo this. Let’s get our young people together, and let’s get this cycle together and let’s try to get some world peace going and let’s end the Cold War.’ And, by God, we did it.”

Meanwhile, Sumner Redstone, then Viacom International chairperson, claimed, “We put MTV into East Germany, and the next day the Berlin Wall fell.”

“The United States has had 43 presidents since 1789. Who do you think have been the best? The worst? The most over- and under-rated? The most influential for better? For worse? What foreign leader do think would’ve made a good president of the US? Feel free to include any other categories you wish to comment on.”

From The Pundits

US presidents. OK.

I’ll admit that, as a Brit, I don’t know much about past presidents. So this’ll likely be crap. But I’ll give it a go.

The problem with the terms best and worst is how do you compare? Did Lincoln face the same problems as JFK? What about Coolidge and Bush Snr?

Having said that, George W Bush has marked the first time that an American president has scared me this much. He terrifies me. With the war on Iraq, the PR disaster which saw the massive worldwide sympathy for the US after 9/11 turned into unparalleled hatred for America in just one year, and other things, the man has me seriously worried. When you hear his mangling of the English language are you not even slightly concerned that he has his finger on the button?

I would have to rank Reagan as most overrated. Everyone goes on about him brining an end to the Cold War. Just him? On his own? What about the East Europeans? And the guy who offered to disarm Russia’s nukes. Him with the strange birthmark. Yeah, Gorbachev. That’s the fella. (Course if Viacom and Ted Turner are to be believed, they are responsible (see panel).)

Most underrated would be Clinton. All most people remember about the guy is Monica Lewinsky. Never mind that on the day The Drudge Report broke that story Clinton announced his intention to balance the budget within four years. Or that he helped us get closer to peace in Ireland than at any other time. Instead, let’s concentrate on a stained dress and a cigar.

I told you that this would be crap. But hopefully, what follows will make up for it.

I’ve decided that the foreign leader part is boring. So I’ve taken it upon myself to change it. And, as it’s my entry, and the question allows me to come up with my own category, there’s really not a lot you can do about it.

MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

/evil genius mode off.

A lot of actors have played the president. Martin Sheen. Jack Nicholson. Tim Robbins. Michael Douglas. Harrison Ford. Morgan Freeman. Hell, even John Goodman temporarily held the role. So, my vote for fictional president I wish were real goes to Jed Bartlet. Cos, lets face it, who couldn’t love a president who could step off Air Force One after a flight from India and regale the press with the history of chess?

Will