Who is the Greatest President of the United States?

[Ben Kenobi]

IIRC his alma mater is some community college in rural BC.

No, not true. I graduated from the University of Northern British Columbia.

The college up here doesn't even offer a 4 year degree program, although I did attend there for a semester.

http://www.unbc.ca/

It's a full-fledged university ranked up with the best of the undergrad only schools here in Canada. I can't vouch for the quality of their history program, over say yale or whatnot.

Truthfully, the majority of my degree was spent at UBC. Out of the 120 credits I needed, I earned 12 from IB in high school, (out of 30 possible if you include sciences); 60 from UBC in History alone, (with another 30 in physics and astronomy), 15 from the college, and another 36 from UNBC.

The reason the earned credits were so high is because they had conflicting degree requirements. I wanted a place where I could finish up my last year that was cheap, and had low, low, residency requirements, (30 credits) towards whatever degree I earned. The final degree had credits from all 4 institutions, which was not easy to puzzle out, but in the end it got straightened.

[Ben Kenobi]

I thought Ben was already on the record saying Reagan was the best POTUS.

I love Reagan too, but my personal bias favours Coolidge over Reagan.

[SpencerH]

Its not even close, George Washington is, and will always be, this countries greatest president (unless, of course, someone in the future frees us from the slavery of our alien overlords when it will be a close call).

[Drake Tungsten]

Coolidge

Unfortunately, Rufus beat me to pointing out Ben's historical illiteracy.

[Zkribbler]

Nixon. Nuff said...

Nixon could have been the greatest. The content of his speeches show that. But he didn't have the temprament to live up to them.

George Washington. Because he's the foundation upon which the rest stand. And he had nothing to follow except his own counsel. Plus, he voluntarily gave up power when he could have been king.

[Imran Siddiqui]

While you are correct that he did not run again in 1928, it was by his own choice, not because he was unpopular or that the Republicans did not want to run him. That was the point.

I believe the point was that you lied blatantly.

[MrFun]

Lincoln had many great qualities/characteristics; one being that he was such a phenomenal speaker. For example, here in his second inaugural speech, he spoke about the need for recognizing the humanity of blacks and reminding white Americans that the preservation of Union was not the only just cause of Civil War. Union and freedom became inseparable!

AT this second appearing to take the oath of the Presidential office there is less occasion for an extended address than there was at the first. Then a statement somewhat in detail of a course to be pursued seemed fitting and proper. Now, at the expiration of four years, during which public declarations have been constantly called forth on every point and phase of the great contest which still absorbs the attention and engrosses the energies of the nation, little that is new could be presented. The progress of our arms, upon which all else chiefly depends, is as well known to the public as to myself, and it is, I trust, reasonably satisfactory and encouraging to all. With high hope for the future, no prediction in regard to it is ventured. 1
On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. All dreaded it, all sought to avert it. While the inaugural address was being delivered from this place, devoted altogether to saving the Union without war, urgent agents were in the city seeking to destroy it without war—seeking to dissolve the Union and divide effects by negotiation. Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came. 2
One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union even by war, while the Government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it. Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with or even before the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh." If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether." 3
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Nixon could have been the greatest. The content of his speeches show that. But he didn't have the temprament to live up to them.

And, if the Democrats in Congress were on board, we would have had universal health care due to Nixon.

George Washington. Because he's the foundation upon which the rest stand. And he had nothing to follow except his own counsel. Plus, he voluntarily gave up power when he could have been king.

Not king. He never would have been allowed to be king. No one wanted that, not even Alexander Hamilton (those were just smears by the Democratic-Republican press). President for Life, though, could have been his.

And, of course, he did have the counsel of some fairly smart men, including Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury, and Jefferson as Secretary of State, even though Jefferson left early because he was a huge French Revolution fan and Washington.... wasn't.

[Ben Kenobi]

I believe the point was that you lied blatantly.

Where?

He did run twice, in 1920, and in 1924.

Once as VP and once as president.

I should have clarified he didn't actually run in '28, but the party did request him to run, which he declined for the reasons stated.

[Imran Siddiqui]

So now you are saying you meant that he ran as VP in 1920 as "running twice".

That's too much! Even Bill Clinton would be ashamed!

And to be greatly amusingly pedantic, you said:

He ran for two terms

Actually, he ran for one term as Vice President and one term as President. So once again... wrong.

[Ben Kenobi]

So now you are saying you meant that he ran as VP in 1920 as "running twice".

Yes, I did. The point was to bring out the quote that he had served for 7 years as president by 1928, and would have served more then a decade by the time 1933 rolled around.

Actually, he ran for one term as Vice President and one term as President. So once again... wrong.

Or he ran in Harding's term in 1920, and his own in '24.

I don't get where you think I am lying.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Hey guys, did you know that Al Gore ran for THREE terms!

[MrFun]

[Tuberski]

Coolidge.

Why?

He ran for two terms, and left with a higher approval rating then when he started.

He was the steady hand at the till who backed away from the Wilson reforms.

And drove us right into economic collapse.

Yay Coolidge.

Who only ran for one term as president.

ACK!

[Tuberski]

Obama is our greatest president, he's also our only president right now,

now if the question was " Who was our greatest president", William Henry Harrison.

He wasn't president long enough to screw things up.

ACK!