by Hyperion » Tue Jan 29, 2013 6:20 pm
Gorbachev and his immediate predecessors contributed more to the decline of the Soviet Union than any American president. The Soviet Union had pretty much been in social, economic, and political decline by the late 1960s as a result of corruption. Its military contributions resorted to simply making things larger by the 1970s. Reagan is mostly remembered for the message he campaigned on and not his actual presidency: restored hope, smaller government, etc.
I believe the best presidents were Lincoln, Washington, and FDR in that order because each of their presidencies is a reflection of their characteristics. I believe the best men to become president were Lincoln, Eisenhower, and Carter. I believe the most over-rated president but still quality man is Jefferson. And the most over-rated president and man was JFK.
In all honesty had LBJ not inherited Vietnam from Kennedy (who kinda inherited it from Eisenhower, who kinda inherited it from Truman), he would be considered one of the best presidents of the 20th century. Not anything near Lincoln or Washington, but his dickish behavior is what pushed through a lot of Civil Rights initiatives, and like I said, we associate the best presidencies with those that rely on the persona of the man instead of the times.