America's worst president

Thank you to those of you who gave me a suggested topic for today. The trip to Maryland was enjoyable, but it's also nice to be back. And yes, Lindsay, it was nice to see you there too.

I spend a lot of time reading about the leadership abilities of American Presidents. Some stand out as more effective than others. Good presidents have moral conviction and are willing to risk their political standing and popularity to make good decisions. Poor presidents remain more focused on their public approval, fail to act on conviction and are thus viewed poorly through the lens of history.

I bought a book the other day called "Presidential Leadership, rating the best and the worst in the White House," by James Taranto. Basically, Mr. Taranto gathered together a large group that was ideologically balanced (ie, equal numbers of conservative, liberal and spineless....I mean moderate) professors and writers.

The presidents were rated on a 5-point scale. 5 being "Great" and 1 being "Failure." Only three presidents were rated "Great," Washington, Lincoln and FDR. But the worst rated president, unfortunately, is the only American President to hail from my home state of Pennsylvania. President James Buchanan has been given the distinction of being labeled the worst president in American history.

Buchanan served right before Lincoln and commented to him, "My dear sir, if you are as happy on entering the White House as I am on leaving, you are a very happy man indeed." Buchanan's leadership style is partly to blame for the onset of the Civil War. Even though he was personally opposed to slavery, he would appease slave holding states in the hopes that they would stay calm until he was out of office. That didn't work. Seven states seceded from the Union before his term was up because he felt he couldn't do anything to stop it.

Buchanan died about 7 years after leaving the presidency. According to the book, "He was blamed for the Civil War. Vandals kept defacing his portrait in the U.S. Capitol, requiring it to be removed for safekeeping. Posters calling him 'Judas' were plastered on walls."

I hope that Buchanan holds this title of "worst president ever" for a very long time. I would hate to think that our future holds in store a chief executive worse than him (although we have come close a few times). Thankfully, he has no descendants who may read this and get mad at me.