How will historians tell the tale of George W. Bush's presidency? Some
history professors aren't waiting 50 years to weigh in. The History News
Network

http://hnn.us/articles/5019.html

conducted an informal poll of professional historians -- eight in 10 said
Bush's tenure has been a "failure." Twelve percent said Bush's presidency is
the worst in all of American history.

Here's how historians finished the sentence "Bush's presidency is the worst
failure since ____" and how they came to their conclusion.

REAGAN: "I think the presidency of George W. Bush has been generally a
failure and I consider his presidency so far to have been the most
disastrous since that of Ronald Reagan--because of the unconscionable
military aggression and spending (especially the Iraq War), the damage done
to the welfare of the poor while the corporate rich get richer, and the
backwards religious fundamentalism permeating this administration. I
strongly disliked and distrusted Reagan and think that George W. is even
worse."

NIXON: "Actually, I think [Bush's] presidency may exceed the disaster that
was Nixon. He has systematically lied to the American public about almost
every policy that his administration promotes." Bush uses "doublespeak" to
"dress up policies that condone or aid attacks by polluters and exploiters
of the environment . . . with names like the 'Forest Restoration Act' (which
encourages the cutting down of forests)."

HOOVER: "I would say GW is our worst president since Herbert Hoover. He is
moving to bankrupt the federal government on the eve of the retirement of
the baby boom generation, and he has brought America's reputation in the
world to its lowest point in the entire history of the United States."

COOLIDGE: "I think his presidency has been an unmitigated disaster for the
environment, for international relations, for health care, and for working
Americans. He's on a par with Coolidge!"

HARDING: "Oil, money and politics again combine in ways not flattering to
the integrity of the office. Both men also have a tendency to mangle the
English language yet get their points across to ordinary Americans. [Yet]
the comparison does Harding something of a disservice."

McKINLEY: "Bush is perhaps the first president [since McKinley] to be
entirely in the 'hip pocket' of big business, engage in major external
conquest for reasons other than national security, AND be the puppet of his
political handler. McKinley had Mark Hanna; Bush has Karl Rove. No wonder
McKinley is Rove's favorite historical president (precedent?)."

GRANT: "He ranks with U.S. Grant as the worst. His oil interests and
Cheney's corporate Haliburton contracts smack of the same corruption found
under Grant."