Was John Lennon and Paul McCartney  

They were certainly very good songwriters and certainly among the best of the last generation, but there were far too many to say that Lennon and McCartney were "the best". Ray Thomas of the Moody Blues and Roger Waters and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd were stiff competition for that title, I think!

I'd have to agree. I listend to a few albums and saw the movie "Across The Universe" and just from those brief encounters with The Beatles, I think that calling them the best songwriters ever, wouldn't be too far off. Of course there are great songwriting teams (Henley and Frey, Taupin and John, Banks, Collins, Rutherford, etc.) but Lennon and McCartney were true genuises of their craft.

They rank right up there with classical composers and then there's everyone else.

Yes, I think they were overall, and the most influential. Bob Dylan, though, is a very, very close second.

John and Paul made a lot of songs for the group and for themselves after the band broke up but let's not forget the "Silent Beatle" George...

George wrote Something, Here Comes the Sun, and While My Guitar Gently Weeps among the few...

George's My Sweet Lord was the first number 1 single an ex-Beatle ever made after the band broke up...

I think George is teh best...he never just had the chance to express himself freely since John and Paul had huge egos!