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 Former President George W. Bush, who left office last month, was
ranked 36th out of the 42 men who had been chief executive by the
end of 2008, according to a survey conducted by the cable channel
C-SPAN.
Bush scored lowest in international relations, where he was ranked
41st, and in economic management, where he was ranked 40th. His
highest ranking, 24th, was in the category of pursuing equal justice
for all. He was ranked 25th in crisis leadership and vision and
agenda setting.
In contrast, Lincoln was ranked in the top three in each of the 10
categories evaluated by participants.
Compared to C-SPAN's only other ranking of presidents, in 2000,
former President Bill Clinton jumped six spots from No. 21 to 15.
Other recent presidents moved positions as well: Ronald Reagan
advanced from No. 11 to 10, George H.W. Bush rose from No. 20 to 18
and Jimmy Carter fell from No. 22 to 25.
This movement illustrates that presidential reputations are
influenced by present-day concerns, said survey adviser and
participant Edna Medford.
"Today's concerns shape our views of the past, be it in the area of
foreign policy, managing the economy or human rights," Medford said
in a statement.
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After Lincoln, the academics rated George Washington, Franklin D.
Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt and Harry Truman as the best leaders
overall. The same five received top spots in the 2000 survey,
although Washington and Franklin D. Roosevelt swapped spots this
year.
Rated worst overall were James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Franklin
Pierce, William Henry Harrison and Warren G. Harding.
The survey was conducted in December and January. Participants
ranked each president on a scale of one, "not effective" to 10,
"very effective," on a list of 10 leadership qualities including
relations with Congress, public persuasion and moral authority.
[Associated Press]
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