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Civil war the worst presidential boo-boo
Elizabeth Dunbar in Louisville, Kentucky
20feb06
FROM engaging in sexual relations with an intern to letting the Vietnam War escalate, US presidents have been blamed for some infamous errors.
So who had the worst blunder? President James Buchanan, for failing to avert the Civil War, according to a survey of presidential historians organised by the University of Louisville's McConnell Centre.
The survey's top 10 presidential blunders were announced during a President's Day weekend conference called "Presidential Moments".
Scholars said Buchanan did not do enough to oppose efforts by Southern states to secede from the Union before the Civil War.
The second worst mistake, it found, was Andrew Johnson's decision just after the Civil War to side with Southern whites and oppose improvements in justice for Southern blacks beyond abolishing slavery.
Lyndon Johnson earned the No. 3 spot by allowing the Vietnam War to intensify.
Bill Clinton's Monica Lewinsky scandal ranked No.10. Many scholars said it affected Clinton's presidency more than it did American history.
The rest of the top 10 blunders:
• 4: Woodrow Wilson's refusal to compromise on the Treaty of Versailles after World War I.
• 5: Richard Nixon's involvement in the Watergate cover-up.
• 6: James Madison's failure to keep the US out of the 1812 war with Britain.
• 7: Thomas Jefferson's Embargo Act of 1807, prohibiting trade with Europe during the Napoleonic Wars.
• 8: John F. Kennedy allowing the Bay of Pigs invasion to overthrow Cuba's communist government that led to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
• 9: Ronald Reagan and the Iran-Contra Affair, the effort to sell arms to Iran and finance an armed anti-communist group in Nicaragua.
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Well I disagree with you here Wally. President's day is all about appreciating those men who have led our nation to the great place that it is now.
Chris
I forgot about that part. But I do need some good springtime additions to the wardrobe and Macy's is having a blow out President's Day Sale, so I do appreciate most of the President's for this day.
Would love to use a Smiley here.
__________________
In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." --Voltaire
I forgot about that part. But I do need some good springtime additions to the wardrobe and Macy's is having a blow out President's Day Sale, so I do appreciate most of the President's for this day.
Would love to use a Smiley here.
LOL. Very funny.
The spirit of the holiday has changed. Originally it was because of Lincoln and Washington, but you already know that.
When I was kid, it was a big deal because we spent a lot of time learning about Presidential History. To adults, it is an extra shopping day.
Of the ten "blunders" - eight had to do with foreign policy or the Civil War.
Only two - Nixon and the [CENSORED BY THE LEFT WING] administration were entirely domestic and non-military.
As you know, 43 men have held the title: President of the United States of America. All have made mistakes, most made lots of them. To be selected as having made one of the ten most presidential blunders is actually quite remarkable.
Right off the top of my head there are other "blunders" that didn't make the list:
FDR trying to pack the Supreme Court....Eisenhower allowing U-2 flights over the Soviet Union in advance of a summit wasn't such a smart move (plane gets shot down - summit cancelled). Carter's impotence in the face of radical Islamic elements in Iran didn't even make the list.
I'm sorry if I'm skeptical of the historical scholars top ten list and their criteria on what it takes to get in the club. But hey - they are the experts and I can only presume they know more than me.
But I'm still left wondering - what exactly does it take to make the list?
I think it goes either way. There have been 42 men as presidents. But, I think the white house views it as Bush being the 43rd President, because Cleveland served non consecutive terms.
The spirit of the holiday has changed. Originally it was because of Lincoln and Washington, but you already know that.
When I was kid, it was a big deal because we spent a lot of time learning about Presidential History. To adults, it is an extra shopping day.
Yup. Glad we share the same sentiments. I remember those days when we had 3 February Holidays. Lincoln Day, Washington Day and Valentine's Day. 2 days off and a bunch of candy at school day. Good memories.
Now February has " Presidents Day, MLK day, Black history month, Valentine's Day , Ground Hog Day, et al. Pretty busy for the shortest month on the Gregorian Calendar.
__________________
In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." --Voltaire
Of the ten "blunders" - eight had to do with foreign policy or the Civil War.
Only two - Nixon and the [CENSORED BY THE LEFT WING] administration were entirely domestic and non-military.
As you know, 43 men have held the title: President of the United States of America. All have made mistakes, most made lots of them. To be selected as having made one of the ten most presidential blunders is actually quite remarkable.
Right off the top of my head there are other "blunders" that didn't make the list:
FDR trying to pack the Supreme Court....Eisenhower allowing U-2 flights over the Soviet Union in advance of a summit wasn't such a smart move (plane gets shot down - summit cancelled). Carter's impotence in the face of radical Islamic elements in Iran didn't even make the list.
I'm sorry if I'm skeptical of the historical scholars top ten list and their criteria on what it takes to get in the club. But hey - they are the experts and I can only presume they know more than me.
But I'm still left wondering - what exactly does it take to make the list?
That makes sense.
But on many levels, I can not think of anything that even compares to the fiasco of Iraq--how we got into Iraq, all the exagerations (trying to be nice here), all the miscalculations, 440 Billion $ and counting, and the backfire in the arab world.
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