The best U.S President?

Excellent post. It's very rare that I see people who can acknowledge how little we truly know about past presidents. History has been rewritten so many times it's ridiculous. I personally have watched Abraham Lincoln turn from the president who freed the slaves to a racist who was forced by the British to free slaves. In many ways it's impossible to judge presidents that we never saw firsthand.

:-) Yeah. I learned early on that history was suspect. I mean, why else would there be multiple versions of history if it were truly accurate? What you mentioned about Lincoln definitely makes you think. He's either a hero or a goat in the eyes of history. Nothing, including Presidents, simply comes across as "average." In the context of our lives, how many average and ordinary - as in, non-life-changing - people and events do we see and run across daily? Yet in 50 years, the water will run either hot or cold on all of them, depending on who's writing/telling the story.

Yep, history is what people make it to be. After all they do say that history is written by the winner, the one who ends up being in charge and can twist things the way he/she wants them to be.

Sorry dogs, I can't agree with your choice. In my mind he was only a cheerleader. You must realize that he was a "big business" advocate and showed it by eliminating oversight of the banks and stock market. The main thing that has caused the financial recession that we are in now. He wanted no or very little regulation by the government. "Bad deal for those trying to bring home a living wage.

That's okay, iriscot. I can't agree with you either. The fact that he wanted little or no regulation and oversight by the government is exactly why I like him so much. And, I also disagree with your assessment that lack of government oversight and regulation of big business is the reason for our recession. It is the government's meddling in our everyday affairs, especially our financial affairs that has us in the mess we are in. But, not only that, it is our failure as American citizens to diligently monitor the everyday affairs of the government and to protest with our votes and our voices when they overstep their bounds. We, are quick to voice our disapproval when the government makes a monumental decision such as sending us to war, but we tend to shrug off the subtle attacks they make on our freedoms on a daily basis such as regulation and oversight of our everyday lives. The very reason big business has profited so outrageously for so long and at the public's expense is because of government intervention. And, if lack of oversight and regulation are to blame it is the lack of oversight and regulation by the American people and not the government that bears the blame. I may not know a lot about the individual presidents that came before my time, but I do know enough about our founding fathers and their vision for this country, and the current state that America is in is not what they had in mind. I also believe that if they were around today, they would be shocked and angered by the exploits of the federal government, but they would be more shocked and angered by the failure of the American people to keep the government in check. That's what the founding fathers wanted. A people that has power over the government rather than a government that has power over, and rules, the people. I'm not making Reagan out to be a saint or infallible. He made his share of mistakes like every other politician. And I'm not speaking in favor of any politician for that matter. I don't trust any of them. I simply like Reagan better because of his belief that "government is not the solution to the problem, government is the problem."

Wow I learned so many things from you. I know little things about Ronald Reagan because I am more fascinated with the Kennedys. I only know Reagan from the Columbian magazine my father subscribed when I was still a child. Above his cute smile, I know nothing about him.