Princeton Historian says Bush 43 is worst President ever

Rolling Stone has a lengthy article by Sean Wilentz that provides a profile of George W. Bush as President. He starts from the informal discussions by historians regarding which American Presidents are the worst.

The candidates include:

• James Buchanan who essentially dithered the U.S. into Civil War in the face of Southern secession,
• Andrew Johnson who sided with former Confederates and undermined Reconstruction,
• Warren G. Hardin who ran what until now was considered the most corrupt administration in American history,
• Herbert Hoover who was unable to break with his failed individualist ethic in the face of the greatest economic failure America has ever faced, exacerbating the 1929 market crash into a world-wide depression,
• Or maybe Richard Nixon who is the only President ever forced to resign from office in the face of his clear high crimes and misdemeanors.
  

To this list the discussants now Add George W. Bush. Dr. Wilentz writes:

George W. Bush is in serious contention for the title of worst ever. In early 2004, and informal survey of 415 historians conducted by the nonpartisan History News Network found that eighty-one percent considered the Bush administration a "Failure." Among those who called Bush a success, many gave the president high marks only for his ability to mobilize public support and get Congress to go along with what one historian called the administration's "pursuit of disastrou7s policies." In fact, roughly one in ten of those who called Bush a success was being facetious, rating him only as the best president since Bill Clinton -- a category in which Bush is the only contestant.[Snip]

And these figures were gathered before the debacles over Hurricane Katrina, Bush's role in the Valerie Plame leak affair and the deterioration of the situation in Iraq. Were the historians polled today, that figure would certainly be higher.

This is the beginning. It is a long article, but since it agrees with and justifies what I decided by early 2003, I really suggest reading it.

I found this from a diary by clammyc at Booman Tribune.