What would you say if you were one of the country's worst presidents? No need to ponder that question, because a real-life example exists for us to marvel at. James Buchanan often gets the nod as one of the worst presidents, and perhaps it's well deserved. Under Buchanan's leadership, the country slipped into a terrible economic recession. In addition, he was ineffective at preventing states from eventually seceding from the Union. He sat idly while slavery spread into the western territories. He gets a lot of blame for the Civil War. He also sported a very bad haircut. All told, a dismal performance while in the White House. Buchanan knew that he was judged harshly. His excuse is a shocker: "Whatever the results may be, I shall carry to my grave the consciousness that I at least meant well for my country."
Who has screwed up the most? Presidents, that is. Easy to point a finger at a number of W's decisions. Or Nixon's Watergate fiasco. Maybe Clinton's affair with Lewinsky. Hey, we've got time. Let's talk about them all. To start, some presidential scholars blame Buchanan for the Civil War. If true, I guess that might win the prize. The University of Louisville's McConnell Center conducted a Presidential Mistakes Survey, ranking Buchanan's failure to oppose secession as the top error of all time. The full survey will help get this blog started. Check it out here.
Yep, I'm getting to be an expert on presidential blunders. Hell, I wrote a book about one of the biggest. If you want to nominate one, or if you want to yell at me, send email to prezblog@gmail.com.
What would you say if you were one of the country's worst presidents? No need to ponder that question, because a real-life example exists for us to marvel at. James Buchanan often gets the nod as one of the worst presidents, and perhaps it's well deserved. Under Buchanan's leadership, the country slipped into a terrible economic recession. In addition, he was ineffective at preventing states from eventually seceding from the Union. He sat idly while slavery spread into the western territories. He gets a lot of blame for the Civil War. He also sported a very bad haircut. All told, a dismal performance while in the White House. Buchanan knew that he was judged harshly. His excuse is a shocker: "Whatever the results may be, I shall carry to my grave the consciousness that I at least meant well for my country."
