FDR is the most overrated president ever. The New Deal no doubt kept the United States in the depression longer by the huge expansion of government (much as what is being done today). World War II is what finally got the country out of the depression. Unemployment never got below 13% before WWII.

Shawn, Atlanta, GA,

The idea that FDR "navigated America out of depression" is a source of debate outside of government schools. There's a great deal of evidence that his price controls kept unemployment high and prolonged the Depression for as long as four years.

Wes, Sarasota, Florida,

I believe that Jefferson should be rated a little bit lower and Washington and FDR should switch because FDR helped bring the nation out of the Depression and led the country through WWII, while Washington had created an early form of the nation. I also think that Nixon shouldn't be so low....

justice mann, Weaverville,

clinton is overrated, there was peace under him because he sat in his ass and failed in Somalia and everyother foreign affair such as Desert Fox which cut all info from Iraq to us which could have been used desperatley leading up to our invasion. Carter is awful just look at his economy. Reagon = 4

walkley, harwich,

Jefferson was stupid and though America should be an agricultural country instead of industrial, another stupid thought. He did like small government so that is good. Otherwise, he is awful.

walkley, harwich,

Jefferson should not be 4 at all. His embargo was awful and hurt our economy and he shrunk our military to much. His only good deed was the lousiana purchase but any idiot would have known to take the deal dispite supposed internal struggle over philosophical beliefs. he also wanted the US to be..

walkley, harwich,

This comment is to Scott Miller. The War on Terrorism is has not been won yet...but the end is near and it is hopeful. When you are saying that the Israel-Egypt accord saved lives, how many lives are you taking into account when terrorism is finally under control?

Micah Lustig, Carmel,

There is no way Carter is worse than W. Carter at least accomplished one thing - the Isreal-Egypt accord which probably has saved thousands of lives both in the Middle East and here in the US from terrorism. Was he great? No Not even mediocre. But better than W who accomplished nothing

Scott Miller, Baldwinsville, NY , US

You can't argue with the Washington/Lincoln/FDR triumverate. These three are clearly way above the others. I disagree with some of your analysis however. The war of 1812 was, in great part, a disaster for the U.S. because Madison continued Jefferson's policy of shrinking our army and navy.

Hawley, New York, USa

Lincoln deserve his spot. Even though many lost their life, it was to hold the country together and END SLAVERY.

Thinh, Portland,OR, USA

Andrew Jackson i liked him because he was against a central bank system

Spencer Boyd, Conneaut Lake, USA

Good to place Buchanan where he is, but I think that putting Garfield and Harrison towards the bottom isn't right, because they had good ideas that the other presidents used in the future. Bit hard on Hoover, because If you put Hoover when FDR was, and FDR when Hoover was, it would be switched.

Ethan, Denver, USA

Bush the elder far too high, as is Reagan. Pretty tough on Clinton, not sure if some sort of personal animosities were in play. Andrew Johnson has an inexplicably high ranking, and L'il Bush should be at the very bottom. Arbitrary placing of Harrison and Garfield at the bottom, I don't understand.

Anderson Council, NY NY, USA

I think the list is a great effort. We have had several great presidents which are hard to order one over another. We have also had a few bad apples. I think the list does a good job of generalizing the better presidents at the top, the bad at the bottom and the mediocre in the middle

Eric, Reno, USA

Reagan belongs near the top of the list. Not only did he give this country back its self esteem after the Carter years, he fundamentally changed the economy & unleashed a boom that lasted nearly 20 years, the first president to reduce nuclear arms and won the Cold War w/o firing a shot. Nuf said.

Ken, Boston,

I agree about Jimmy Carter. This was the 1970s when people wore bell-bottoms and behaved as if the bizarre were the norm. Anyway, this list apparently has made him a non-person, since it declares that Bill Clinton was the first Democrat elected since FDR. Huh?

Richard Portis, Little Rock, U.S.

Dwight D. Eisenhower is one of the best presidents. You can not deny that Lincoln went to the beat of his own drum, but he got the job done. Jefferson should be lower on the list. JFK and Nixon should be higher on the list. They both were great presidents. Regan and "W" should be on the bottom.

Shane , Weatherly, USA

Jimmy Carter should be much higher on the list. If Americans paid attention to his warnings, we would be in much better shape. Ronald Reagan ushered in the trickle down policies, which have led to the colossal mess we have today. Andrew Johnson was a disaster. Should be near bottom.

Rob, Chapel Hill,

Why did the so-called historians even rank Presidents like W. H. Harrison & James Garfield who served basically no time in office? That's just stupid. The 1962 Historians poll was much more accurate in regards to who was "great" and who was a failure.

Susy, Poughkeepsie, USA

I feel like this list favors war heroes. It appears to be inaccurate in several places. Certain presidents were ranked MUCH higher than they should have been and some much to low. Some presidents were given credit for things they shouldn't have been and were blamed for things that wasn't their fault

Courtney, Tennessee, US

Carter deserves to be higher on the list:
he foresaw the importance of energy conservation, and
was deeply committed to human rights.

At any rate, he has my vote for the best EX-president the USA has ever had!

anne, san francisco, CA

When Clinton took office the federal budget was $290B in the hole, and the unemployment rate was nearly 7.5%. When he left office the budget stood at a SURPLUS of about $225B and the unemployment rate shrank to 3.8%. Bush Jr. quickly squandered that and now we have a deficit of over $1Trillion.

Frank B, Toms River, USA

FDR was the greatest leader as he led United States during WWII, signed major economic bills and was only President for four terms of office. Lincoln was only in office one term and is more known for his speeches- Emancipation Proclamation and abolishment of slavery but he represented slaveholders.

Jeffrey Gelb, Galveston, TX, USA

Bill Clinton belongs on that list!! He may just have prevented WW3 by his work in the Balkans...the economy was in great shape when he left office with a surplus of trillions of dollars.He still continues to work to this day for the worlds poor and sick.

Mo, Oviedo, USA

George W. Bush was a much better president than he is being given credit for. Who, among us, when faced with the 9/11 tragedies, could have made a better decision? No choice was going to be popular. He had to fight opposition in most major decisions. He was moral, and stood firm. I miss him.

Carol, Evergreen, usa

Honestly who cares what are the rankings. It won't change our country and won't change the past. People spend too much time blaming or praising the President when he is just the face of the government. Washington did the most for this country and didn't even take a paycheck.

Matt, Houston Texas,

Interesting that Lincoln is named #1 for holding the Union togther.Yet,, how does one even know if that is a good thing? Perhaps, out of the break up of the old America, a better one could have eventually emerged. The one we ended up with was founded by military conquest of millions and untold death

Scott, Midland, US

Placing McKinley @17 shows a lack of understanding of his impact on the modern American presidency; such misunderstanding reinforced by placing Jefferson above TR--as a president. Madison was an unmitigated disaster in the White House--bottom 10 stuff. Kudos for Polk at 9 and Jackson below top 10.

Steve, Alexandria, VA, USA

Lincoln is number 1? Unbelievable. Causing the deaths of close to a million people, suspending habeus corpus, ignoring court rulings, letting slavery continue in border states, and responding to an indian uprising by killing them all makes a good president these days? Good grief.

RW Perkins, Fort Smith, USA

Andrew Jackson was the one who slaughtered the Native Americans (Trail of Tears, personally down in Florida before Presidency)! Economy gets less credit than it warrants- Van Buren was so bad cuz of the 1837 depression. Clinton deserves credit for 8 yrs of peace and prosperity. W's close to worst.

Luke Cederberg, Los Angeles, USA

How can Carter possibly rank above ANYONE? Absurb to rank Nixon so low. Reagan should also be in the Top 5.

M smith, Bangkok, Thailand

Congrats Lincoln!
You're my favorite

Mhatt De Guzman, Vienna, USA

America the most wonderfully complex thing and best thing to happen to the world in modern times! I pretty much have carved the Declaration of Independence and Gettysburg address on my soul. But a lot of people died didn't they? At a risk of being just a tiny bit vexing my vote goes to Bartlett.

Geoffrey, Sydney,

My father was stationed on Guam awaiting invasion of Japan when A bomb was dropped. Would most likely have perished. Put Truman high in my book. Editors and readers mistake tax rates with tax revenues; Kennedy, Reagan and W cut tax rates but saw tax revs rise. Carter worst. Lincoln best.

Elliot, Michigan, USA

Washington needs to be No. 1, period. Lincoln a close 2nd. TR third, and for Mr. Ellis in San Fran, REAGAN 4th. Stood up to the USSR, and yes trickle down ecnomics work when you let it work completely. Lower taxes stimulate economies.

Kirk, North Augusta, SC, USA

Its a mistake to continue to give FDR credit for "leading" us out of the depression. His policies did nothing to shake the economy from its slumber. World War II ended the depression. Stop rewriting history.

Paul, Fort Wayne ,

FER deserves his spot at #3 because of his socialist policies: social security, medicare, unemployment, infrastructure renovation (which Reagan refused to maintain). I mean, considering that Dem. and Rep. alike in the country rely on social security and medicare when they retire...

Marvin, Katy, United States

That Reagan rates so high in many polls continue to confound many, me included. Trickle down economics continue to impoverish the poor and enrich the elite. The current economic debacle is the tail-end of what he started.

Jerome Ellis, San Francisco, USA

TR called Jefferson "perhaps the most incapable Executive who ever filled the presidential chair". Truman considered Eisenhower a weak president and his list of great presidents included Jackson (HST's favorite), Wilson and Cleveland (but only the 22nd President).

Stuart F. Forman, rockville, usa

John Kennedy wasn't in office long enough to really evaluate what kind of president he was other than the myth. George Washington had the hardest job dealing with a new country and a new form of government.

Norma, Birmingham, USA

"W" took the "War on Terror" to the terrorists and we did not have another terrorist attack on U.S. Soil. He WILL be ranked higher with time. I blame the current economic situation on the Democratic Congress and this stimulus package will push us into another Great Depression. Thank Pelosi and Reed

Timothy Kerley, Metropolis, IL,

Lincoln was an horrific presdient. His
aggression against the southern states to preserve the union resulted in 750,000 dead! There was no constitutional provision preventing states from seceding. This very brutal war was unnecessary - resultingin the highest death rate of any U.S. war;

Scott, Milford, USA

Who are the "experts", what makes them expert and how much does our zeitgeist influence their opinions? Ask the same question to ten other equally or better qualified experts or ask the same question to experts in ten or twenty years and I bet the rankings will be significantly different.

David Allen, Marietta, USA

I don't believe this panel of "experts" really has the credentials to make these judgements. They put WHH near the bottom who only served just over a month, what is there to judge from that? They put the GWB also near the bottom when we haven't seen what happens. This list needs to be looked over

Robert, Normal, USA

WASHINTON He laid his life, future and fortune on the line setting up the foundation of our nation. He led our untrained and ill equiped army IN THE FIELD for over 3 hard fought years, beating the world''s then most powerful military - THEN served as our 1st president and the father of our country.

Jack, Brooksville FL, USA

Despite Nixon's criminal inclinations, let the record show that he had a slough of highly successful policies, like opening china, SALT I, clean air, Amtrak, and most notably ending the war. I'm not defending his actions in Watergate and any associated scandals, but some perspective is needed.

Sam Huddy, San Francisco, USA

FDR is one of the worst presidents, not one of the best. His government spending programs, protectionism and price controls caused the Depression to last for many years.

And today we have big govt spending and price controls and protectionism. Great.

Adam, London, UK

Carter: high inflation, high unemployment, high interest rates, weakened defense. The Community Reinvestment Act which is responsible for the economic problems today. Carter is the worst President. Clinton allowed terrorists to flurish, forced banks to increase subprime lending, paying for it now!!

simon, London,

Year from now, I believe George W. Bush will be considered one of our great Presidents. He did not lie, he told us what everyone in congress and the United Kingdom believed that there were weapons of mass destruction. I will always believe he did what was best for the country.

Shirl Stout, Plantation, Florida, United States of America

What a foolish poll. Choosing Lincoln because of his "cool" name? Lincoln's failures lead to the War in 1861 - our most expensive war (to date). No other nation needed to fight a war to end slavery.

Martin, Marietta, USA

The rankers substitute an awe of bravado for an honest assessment of the impact of the man's policies. They put Reagan in the top 10 and GW Bush in the bottom 10 -- but two are virtually clones. They both substituted hubris for thoughtfulness and had very similar economic policies -- "trickle down"

S. Nunn, Edinboro, PA, USA

How ironic that GW Bush and his great-great grandfather Franklin Pierce are both on the list as the worst? Pierce, by the way is Babs great grandfather.

jim, toledo, USA

Never a fan of Carter but.....his cancellation of the B-1 and channeling of those funds into stealth technology may have helped bankrupt the Soviet Union's military machine.

Dee Bee, Mercer, Pa

A great poll not because of its insight or accuracy but because of the discussion it creates. I agree only with numbers 1 and 2, but this poll gives a thumbnail, right or wrong, for every president. But I have always had a soft spot for William Harrison: least time in office, fewest mistakes.

Michael J Brady, Tucson,

These pollsters are afraid of ghosts, dogs, and registered mail

Rayd, Tyler, USA

Lyndon Baines Johnson should be above Kennedy, and especially above Reagan.

Alexander, Miami, Fl, USA

Harry Truman is my pick for last place. He is living proof there are no war crime trials for the winners. Against all advice of every military commander he used the A-bomb on non-military targets to show the Russians we were powerful. And his pick for Secretary of State was a real winner.

Phineus Taylor, East Hampton, US

I am disappointed a British poll was not more objective. It was also shallow and unintellectual. The American comments are not well-informed, either. Among those with seemingly less bias, it is clear that Clinton's and Nixon's achievements should count for more, relative to their peccadillos.

Paul BOsco, Manhattan, USA

I'm sure that within a few decades President G W Bush will be recognised as the most visionary President of the modern era.

Gerondin, Royston, UK

This poll is a joke, as usual with this kind of venture. It can't even decide on its own logic. For example, it praises Reagan's economic vision but seems to punish George H. W. Bush for not being able to drag the economy out of the massive deficit problems caused by Reagan's spending. Go figure.

David, Richmond, USA

The list is too heavily weighted toward recent presidents. I have to differ with any list that ignores James Madison's position within the top 10.

Walter Gentala, Kent, WA,

I believe the Bush Presidencies (father and son) will eventually be recognized as the most globally important American Presidencies for having stemmed the tide of an emerging global Islamic expansionism.

Deborah Bray, Mobile, USA

Having read most of the comments, I think that it is fair to say that we all have our favorites,and those that we feel did not do their job up to our hope and expectations. I too do not agree with all of the rankings but know that you couldn't pay me enough to try to do the presidents job.

Cathy, Elkhart, USA

Any American Pres. that was/is loyal to "when in America do as the Americans" west stays west .."freedom and justice for all" vs. "when in Rome do as the Romans" STAYS "EAST"! The "pursuit of happiness" is the foundation of the West. Let's stay West! House-to-House - Field-to-Field is East!

R. Kull, Palm Harbor, USA

LBJ should be swapped with JFK. JFk was all talk and no actual action. LBJ did huge things domestically. He made Obama possible - and he was a Texan! Vietnam was his downfall - but it was also JFK and Nixons downfall as well.

Bruce, Canberra, Australia

I don't see how Jackson is so high while Van Buren is so low. Jackson should be just as low the policies Van Buren carried out were fathered by Jackson.

A.J., Camden, USA

By far the worst president since turn of the century, George W. Bush! His administration's circumvating the constitution of seperation of sate and church, illegal detention of so called terrorist, and total disregard of FAR in contract awards and his good vs evil mandate which alinated the world.

John Willoughby, Bethesda, MD, USA

You take George HW Bush to task for raising taxes after promising not to, yet that was the right thing to do at the time. (Remember, Reagan raised taxes after his initial tax cuts had gone too far.) Our Republican party's fetish with tax cuts is a massive Ponzi scheme, as we are now finding out.

Dan Braden, Bethlehem, USA

All your judgements are based on superficial examination of events which were usually beyond the control of Presidents.
Most power in the US is not the President's to control. There were 2 good ones: Washington is one, Lincoln and FDR together are the other .
To explain needs more space.

martin braun, New York City, USA

LBJ blocked Civ Rts til he was pres and needed a legacy AND election in 1964.
Clinton didn't bring on 9/11, it was: the US in Saudi Arabia irked Osama bin Laden and the CIA failure to act on CLinton's orders to kill Osama.
Read any CIA history written after the archives were opened in 2005.

JT, Merced, Ca,

People who say George W. should be lower or "he is the worst president" are so narrowly minded. I think over about 20 years he will be a lot higher ranked. He had to deal with 9/11 and a downgoing economy when he came in WH. This economic recession occurred after democrats took control of congress.

Sybren, Sunnyside, WA, USA

Washington #1. Reagan is OK. JFK, and Clinton a lot lower. LBJ a little lower. GW Bush, Nixon higher. Jimmy Carter should be behind Buchanan the worst president. Reagan inherited his mess and had to clean it up. Lincoln, FDR and TR definitely in top 5

Sybren, Sunnyside, WA, USA

Illegitimate to begin with, Dubya lied to Congress to start an unwarranted war, crippled the economy and failed in his sworn duty to uphold the Constitution (in fact, he sought to destroy it). He divided us to the point that a second Civil War is thinkable. It's no contest: Bush is the worst of all.

Gerry, New York,

When Clinton was president my ira was double what it is now, cds were around 5% and the local news had 8 pages of want ads. Now the paper has 6 pages of foreclosures and 1 line of jobs and the cds many retirees depend on are around 1-2 %. Tell me it's Clintons fault

Bob V., Naples, U.S.

Shannon, remember that if Lincoln had freed the slaves in the states that stayed loyal to the union, they probably would have joined the confederacy. That would have made the war bigger than it was.

Warren, Grass Valley, USA

I think it is difficult to rate modern Presidents because the results and reasons for their actions are not yet fully understood . I would reverse the positions of Reagan and Carter for example.Carter inherited a mess of both fiscal and international policy but set good energy and middle east goals.

Will, Aurora, USA

I suspect that the panel of judges have conservative leanings. Ron Reagan #8? They downplay the implications of the Iran Contra mess, and ignore the "voodoo" economics he employed. We have suffered from the consequences of these decisions ever since. He should be way closer to the bottom of the list

pamela, lake elsinore, usa

First of all: The economy tanked after and because of a Democrat Congress..not George Bush. Second: EVERYONE, Kerry, H.R.Clinton, Lieberman, Pelosi, the Brits, the Egyptians, the Israelis, the Saudis -EVERYONE is on the record affirming the UN Resolutions AND the intelligence that Iraq had WMD !

Michael, Boynton Beach , FL, USA

Lyndon Johnson was among the worst. He expanded a senseless war that killed over 50,000 Americans and injured many more based on a totally erroneous "domino theory" that never materialized. Domestically, his ineffective leadership led to the destruction of our inner cities. Chaos!

Simon, Princeton, USA

I agree with others that W will plummet , but believe the most damaging legacy will be his systematic effort to dismantle constitutional rights, even the constitution, as the shroud of secrecy is lifted from his administration. Would that his term had only lasted 32 days!

Dave, Portland, USA

I think there's room for "W" to move down on the list!

Lyndon is way too high. America never really recovered from his presidency; high inflation caused by "guns and butter", escalation of the Vietnam War leaving 55,000 dead, and a generation that self-destructed into drugs and decadence.

Richard, Haddonfield , USA

I believe that George W. Bush will be seen as our worst president. Because he decided to invade Iraq under false pretenses, he neglected to persue the Al Queda in Afghanistan. These events had a disastrous effect on our reputation throughout the world. Don't forget Guantanamo, torture etc.

Jeri Rogers, Yardley, USA

Bush took a nation that had a budget surplus, in relative peace, and started a war on bogus claims and created a financial catastrophe by allowing Wall St. and the corporate world to run his government.
America fell farther with Bush than with Hoover.

Robert, Albuquerque, USA

I'd be a lot more impressed with Lincoln if he had freed the slaves in the states he actually controlled. The emancipation proclamation was a war tactic not an act of altruism. It only freed the slaves in seceded states not the border states still loyal to the union.

Shannon, williamstown, USA

I believe that as time goes on George W. Bush will go down as the worse president in the history of our nation.

Sherry, Huntsville, AL, USA

While much of the blame for our current economic mess (esp. the mortgage crisis) rests on the shoulders of democrats, Bush failed as a leader in getting democratic legislators to act responsibly on behalf of the country.

Jane, Jacksonville, USA

How on earth can Clinton be ranked higher than George W. Bush? Clinton was impeached and if I am not mistaken, the only President to have ever been impeached. Lee Hinnant, is correct on all of his points. George W. also had to deal w/ 911 something no one could ever even imagine to happen.

kim, College Station, USA

I believe that George W. Bush will move up the list as time passes.

David Syrett, Newport News,

Why rank LBJ so high and G.W. Bush so low. You need to take into account that W had to deal with one of the sorriest Congress ever. That the economy was running along until 2007 and who took over Congress in 2007? Also,some of problems Bush faced were caused by Clinton's policies and attitudes.

Lee Hinnant, Norway, Orangeburg

I'd put Jackson a bit lower. He put his belligerent insecurities ahead of the good of the nation. LBJ is too high. He did wonders for civil rights but has the main responsibility for Vietnam and they are still demolishing the horrible high rise public housing he built. Clinton set the stage for 9/11

Pete, Holiday, USA

Reagan was a great leader. I served in the military under Reagan and was proud to do so.

Don Jackson, Clarendon, USA

If only people really knew what the effects of the New Deal were, FDR wouldn't seem like the celebrated hero he is today. Folks, the education system is naturally skewed leftward (and I'm fine with that), but we have to see through the face values that our text books have given us.

Ryan Maass, Wellington, USA

I believe these rankings are distorted. Bill Clinton sits at 23 because of scandals, George Sr. ranked above him, that is a joke right. Being American, we study American history quite often. From a young child we were taught Ulysses S Grant is one of the worst presidents in our history.

shawn , wayne , US

George Washington is #1. He set the course for the greatness of the US. He was the model of self-restraint by refusing to server more than 2 terms. He supported the westward expansion of the US while trying to help Native Americans adapt. Without George Washington there would be no US.

Kevin, Kilcolgan, Ireland

Unforunately, the presidency is the one job, that no one can do to the satisfaction of all the citizens. Most have not personally read the specifics of the Constitutionally defined role of the president. Congress's role is domestic affairs!

Burt Murdock, Charleston SC, USA

I disagree with trying to rank our Presidents numerically. Some were in office in more critical times so their performance gets more attention. Who can really say Lincoln was better than Washington? It would be fairer to list them in catagories...best, good, average, below average, and poor.

Jerome Schine, Temple Terrace, USA

I think they all should get the #1 ranking just for wanting that job in the first place. I can barely manage three kids much less an entire country.

Ken, Austin,

Reagan should not be on the top ten. He is the one that created the culture of "Deficits don't matter." He converted the Republican party into the party of "Borrow and Spend" indirectly leading to the financial crisis we face now. Truman's policies won the cold war. Reagan delayed demise of USSR

Chris Ambrose, Lorton, VA, USA

Never understood why Kennedy is always rated so high.  He had to be dragged into the Civil Rights fight - no major foreign policy accomplishments.  He is evidently rated on his charm, eloquence and death.

Nancy , Garner, USA

Historians always rate war presidents the best, provided they win of course. As a result, these lists tend to be rather boring and predictable. More interesting to me are the peacetime presidents who ranked highly - Jefferson, T.R., and Reagan come to mind. Glad to see you left W off the list...lol!

Andrew, Boston, USA

Really nice to see FDR at #3. Previously such polls have him much lower in the top 10. #3 is where he really belongs. Can't imagine what this country would look like with the New Deal.

Brian White, Bradenton, FL, USA

I was surprized not to see Andrew Jackson in the top ten. There seems to be a tendency to put recent Presidents either very high or low and lump the nineteenth century in the middle except for Lincoln. By the twenty-second century, who will be nearly forgotten?

Margaret, Lake Bluff, USA

Our current economic disaster and the horrid state of the world is directly due to the policies of Ronald Regan. All that is wrong in the US today can be laid at his feet. Reganomics has brought the world to this social and economic holocoust. It's time our country faced the truth

David, Greensboro, US

What was George W. Bush's ranking? He should have been included in the bottom five. Thank you

Richard Humphrey, Mebane, NC, USA

Madison and Monroe should both be a little higher. It was good to see the underrated Polk finally get respect, and John Adams finally got some respect too. Alas, when will poor Nixon get respect as a good president and definately never bottom 10.

Dan Loiacono, Brooklyn NY, USA

Jimmy Carter was clearly one of the worst 5 Presidents of all time. His legacy will be the Iran Hostage Crisis, a terrible economy and a failure to move the Middle East closer to a settlement. He was clearly worse than either George W Bush or Richard Nixon.
Harry Truman far too high!

Rick Madden, Londonderry, NH, US

the left likes to dramtically enhance the idea that Bush was responsible for the situation in Iraq.To those people I ask,who is responsible for the collection and analysis of intelligence?The Intelligence Community.What was Bush supposed to say?"The CIA and NSA is wrong! I know more about intel."NO!

Jeff, Chicago, United States

Clinton should have been ranked much lower. With the .com boom, anyone could have balanced the budget. It was also under his watch the two American embassies and the USS Cole were attacked with no repurcussions for the terrorists who committed these acts. He's given much undue credit.

Mike, Ontario, USA

To match Richard Nixon—the only real statesman of this country in the last half a century—with George W. Bush shows the lack of wisdom of those who made this list. In spite of his moral faults, Nixon excels as an authentic politician among the American presidents since FDR.

Vicente Echerri, Jersey City, USA

George W. Bush should be above Reagan. He did a fantastic job, in spite of being undermined by the left at all turns.

adam, London, UK

i think Teddy Roosevelt should have rated higher, and FDR should have been much lower, because he was the closest one of becoming a dictator. Clinton should be rated closer to Carter, and Nixon. Carter been a bad joke, and both Nixon, and Clinton were caught in lies, and Clinton lied under oath.

raymond breshears, hines, usa

George W. Bush should have been in the middle ratings.
Many things went wrong and I personally blame it on congress. Not many could have done what he did. To stand up to the world for what is right and what must be done to rid the world of terrorism is a beautiful thing.

Modesto, Orange, U.S.A.

As a Social Studies teacher, what amazes me is that people want to bust presidents down because of policies they consider socialist- the US is supposed to be a melting pot of ideas. A socialist-influenced program or two here and there to make life better for Americans shouldn't be seen as a threat.

Andrew, Alexandra, USA

These so-c alled historians should turn in their degrees if they can't see that George W. Bush's lack of popularity will not stand the test of time. Bush will rise significantly in the rankings over time. Jimmy Carter was by far a worse president than Bush, and possibly the worst ever.

Robert Stair, Oak Park, MI, USA

jfk should be much lower. Clinton should be much higher. nixon is one of the greatest and watergate is not a big deal. Pork made america complete so he's great. Lincoln is great person but too many good american die not sure if worth because can't see the history otherwise. Washington should be #1

michelle, costa mesa, us

I think the Brits should learn some Amer. history before they rank. Just looking at the top here, Jefferson was not a great pres, a pretty bad one in fact. & Ike (no. 6?!) did some good things, but desegregating army was not one--that was HST--& where was he during McCarthy era?--silent.

Fred Jacobs, Merrick, USA

LBJ, Carter and Clinton should be at the bottom of the list right next to Nixon.

Rosie Jones, Billings, MT, USA

Clinton will be remembered as the last president with a balanced budget. George W. Bush as a president with one of the most corrupt administrations.

David Kimbell, Hilton Head, USA

Nixon should be in the top 10. Bush Jr. will improve over time. Carter deserves his own special rank. By far the worst-no one even close and he still opens his mouth to this day without thinking.

Gary, Perinton, usa

George W. Bush is by far the worst!!

Lee Scotney, Lakeland, USA

FDR should be ranked lower for prolonging the depression as well as pushing the country closer to socialism with his polocies.

Eric, Eugene OR, USA

HowLBJ could be anywhere near the top is beyond me. He was basically awful. And FDR being so high is wrong, too. His socialist trends we have been paying for dearly for decades and it took him forever-- World War II to the rescue-- to get us out of the depression. And Carter should be lower.

Jim Davis, Mesa, Az, USA

I personally think William Harrison should have been default last. He did, after all, only serve 32 days in office. I also agree Clinton should have been higher on the list, do we really care that much about a blow job? He wasn't the first, we all know that. Both FDR and JFK had affairs.

Meg, Orlando,

How could anyone who lived through the Johnson years rate this man anywhere but near the bottom? His strong advocacy of socialism and prolongation of the Vietnam war for his own personal benefit are still burning in my mind.

Jim Tarter, Lexington, KY, USA

I disagree that it was right to keep Jimmy Carter out of the bottom 10. President Carter would be in the bottom 3 to 5. The misery index during his tenure was terrible. Even during today's difficult world recession, we are better off than during the horrible Carter years.

Max, Los Angeles, USA

FDR should be on top for his efforts during the depression and ww2 besides serving 4 terms

tony bogo, south windsor ct, us

Count me among those who say Clinton should be ranked higher than this. The Lewinski debacle was blown way out of proportion: he left the country in peace and prosperity: the world did not hate us then.

Kimberley, San Mateo, CA, USA

President Bush will, like President Truman rise in stature with time. He was the right man at the right time in history. His detractors were loud, persistent and totally unfair. I would list him at least in the middle of the pack. He should certainly be higher than Presidents Carter and Johnson

GMacquire, Oak Ridge, USA

Reagan should be at the top of the list.George W. Bush will be rated very high in the future.

Elaine Hayes, Clifton, U.S.A.

Bush should be higher. Yes, a lot went wrong during his presidency but seriously, Congress basically makes most of the decisions! I would love to see how any Bush hater would have reacted to 9/11. Bush was the average good ol' boy who got to be president and he did very well during the chatoic times

Mrs. Sat, Austin, USA

Lincoln was not a war criminal, the South started the war by seceding. Label the slaveowners war criminals if you want to cast blame. Clinton should be higher; balancing the budget should outweigh the reprecussions of his sexual antics. GW will only be top ten when they start handing out lobotomies

TK, Minneapolis, USA

clinton should be higher - he was the ultimate feel good president of this generation. were it not for the lewinsky scandal, his era would have been considered one of the greatest. On the flip side, the scandal generated enough cynicism to get Bush elected!

alex, new haven, ct

Nixon tied with Bush? Whoever made these rankings seem to forget that Nixon opened up diplomacy with CHINA, a country that pretty much hated us and most other western nations. Not only that, he ended the Vietnam war which we got involved with under Kennedy and LBJ blew in to it's terrible state.

Carl G., New York, USA

I tried to list my favourite Presidents earlier, and my top seven were exactly the same as this list! (Although in a slightly different order.) I think Adams, Wilson and Clinton should all be higher, though; especially Adams, as he set an important precedent for democracy.

James, Newcastle, UK

Reagan (financial disaster), Polk (responsibility for unjust war), W Wilson (all talk no delivery) all far too high. Nixon too low (although I have no hold my nose while admitting this.) Clinton far too low, his sexual misdemeanors seems to be given more weight than his economic & political mgt

GB, Surrrey, UK

The American mind thrives on appearance and what have you done for me lately. Hence, Nixon should be higher and, in time, Bush 43 as well. Coolidge, just on his hands-off, laissez-faire small-government approach should definitely be higher. Jefferson, a genius, and even Truman could go higher.

Greg schneider, Tucson, AZ, USA

I highly disagree with this list. Where to begin? Nixon--an extremely successful president until the Watergate Scandal, which should not detract from all his other successes. Clinton deserves to be higher--Americorps, legislation which supported the .com boom, foreign relations, Jackson is too high.

Ashwin, Media, United States

A response to the comment "Promised so much, delivered so little and embarrassed everyone" on President Bill Clinton. He delivered more than expected as much of his work was buried by a disgracefully partisan Republican congress. This was the real scandal of his presidency. A great President!

Martyn Lewis, Danville, United States

reagan

trickle down theory practically bankrupted us
iran contra
he was dissengadged towards the end
raised taxes on poor and middle class( ss taxes)
lowered taxes on rich

very poor president only gets credit due to popularity
he was a great communicator
he se the agenda for george bush

bill, vancouver, usa

Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison are my top 5. Andrew Jackson is my most hated President. He ignored the Supreme Court and instigated the holocaust against the American Indians. My ancestors were robbed of Land, Buiness and their lives on the trail of tears.

Bruce, Eureka, USA

Typical Bias. True rankings:
TOP OF THE LIST: Washington, Reagan, John Adams, Lincoln, T. Roosevelt

FURTHER UP THE LIST: Nixon

FURTHER DOWN: Kennedy, FDR

BOTTOM OF THE LIST: Carter, Lyndon Johnson (top 20 for Johnson? what a joke!)

Jeff, Huntersville, NC, USA

Truman had an approval rating in the US of just 22% when he left office, but over time he has come to be judged much less harshly, Bush will as well. FDR lower he started government deficit spending. Reagan higher, he is responsible for modern democracy in eastern Europe.

Rich, Tampa, U.S.

The positively worst one has to be jimmy carter. The effects of his idiocy are still being felt.

His killing of the Nuclear Industry, and Energy growth have affected and will continue to have an effect on our Nation for generations.

Carter's bungling of the mid-east gave us Iran today.

Clay Granacki, Tucson, Az, U.S.A.

I am astonished at the low position of Nixon and that Clinton ranks after George Bush senior and JFK is amazing. Are they being punished for their transgressions? Hardly an historical appraoch.

Matt, London,

Bush 43rd- sitting presidents cannot be properly judged. Time must pass and history must weigh in; best example: Harry Truman. For the others, Reagan, Jefferson, and TR higher; they shaped events. Clinton lower, he disgraced the office. FDR lower, he lengthened the depression.

Jim , Bryan, Texas, US

I agree with many posters here that Richard Nixon has had a ridiculously low ranking. He was just the guy who got caught and punished in part because he faced a hugely hostile press and congress, unlike Bill Clinton. He had many achievements and is still well thought of by many outside the USA.

Mark, Madrid, Spain

FDR lower. His abuse of Keysian economics made things worst and prolonged the depression. JFK or LBJ should be much lower...the former was hype and the latter gave us the Great Society and Vietman. Teddy , Jefferson, Reagan higher. They were men who shaped their time and American governance.

Jack, west palm beach, usa

Putting Lincoln first is ignoring the fact that he waged a war against his own people! More lives were lost in the War between the States (also known as the Civil War and the War of Northern Aggression) than in any other conflict the US has ever fought in. Slavery was bad, war is bad, too

Carol, Washington, USA

I am amazed at the people that give all the credit for resurecting the economy to Clinton. He had a true fiscally conservative house and senate forcing welfare and many other reforms down his throat. It is the same congress that decimatated our military that Bush Jr had to rebuild.

Jim, Scranton, USA

To David in Swansea who thought Reagan created problems in the Middle East, I contend that many of those problems would not have existed if the UK had not set up such absurd, unbalanced and destructive governmental systems and borders after its colonial period. Hindsight is so clear.

Carol, Washington, USA

To Gareth Herbert,

There have been 42 presidents of the US. There have been 43 changes of who is President. Grover Cleveland served a term, than got elected out of office. And than 4 years later served again. So he is responsible for the missing number. (2 non consecutive terms)

Nathan, Utah,

Since 9/11 Bush completely blocked all terrorist attacks on our homeland (disrupting many attempts) at a time when countries around the world did not and pulled off a victory in a difficult war when dometically the Democrats were pulling for defeat. Lets see if Obama can make the same claim in 4 yrs

Duncan, Miami, FLA, USA

Washington was definitely number one. Defeated greatest military power of day. Resisted calls to become king. Bipartisan. Complete integrity. Absolute model that none of successors lived up to. Lincoln was great but without Sherman would have been a one termer. Washington rules.

Duncan, Miami, FLA, USA

This list is dumb. Too many seem rated for prior achievements. JFK had great ideas but basically passed on civil rights, but LBJ got them passed. Reagan left us debt and anti-government attitude that prevented solving problems. Polk got the southwest to expand slavery. W belongs one up from Buchanan

Larry, Amissville, VA, USA

Nixon should be much higher. He was the victim of a Nixon-hating press and a Democratic congress out to get him because of his landslide defeat of their beloved McGovern. The Watergate scandal was no worse than many other presidential scandals.

Donald Sullivan, Fayetteville, NC, USA

Bush should not be included on this list because he is still president. And putting him behind Hoover and CARTER (worst president ever) is a complete disgrace!

Johnny K, Atlanta, GA, USA

Lincoln was in my opinion, one of the worst. He pushed big government, spent money without congressional authorization, imprisoned many Confederates and did not give them the right to a trial. Plus, the Civil War cost the US around 620,000 lives, more than any other war.

Jordon, Wellington,

Nixion should have been higher - if people paid attention to his policy and not his scandale people would see that he did more to push the civil rights act than any president before him. Nixion single handly integrated schools during his administration. Polk and Woodrow Wilson should be much lower.

Amanda , Yorba Linda, America

michelle, the difference is other politicians probably didnt say on televison "i did not have sexual relations with that women" he lied to the face of every american voter, and was almost impeached. that loses him an awful lot of credibility

will, grimsby, uk

Nixon should be far higher, for all the bad press and misjudgements he was definitely one of America's greatest. Also George Bush Sr should be above Reagen as his internal difficulties were all inherited from Reagen's mismanagement, whilst his overseas achievements were unequaled.

Michael, London,

There was 43 terms of permanent Presidents however only 42 president so far Grover Cleveland served twice 1885-1889 and 1893-1897.

Michael, Perth, Australia

John F Kennedy was definitely the worst of them all on the basis of the disastrous impact of his incompetence on the world stage which brought the world to the brink of annihilation. His catastrophic military adventures including Vietnam would set the US back for half a century.

Michael, London,

The high ranking for Ford means you essentially endorse the corrupt pardon of Nixon.

stuart munro, Seoul, Korea

Hoover must rank at or near the bottom.Buchanan inherited Pierces problems.As for the Trail of tears that was Jacksons doing. Tyler was fiercely anti-native.

C.Goggins, Enniskillen, Northern Ireland

A great president is one whose propaganda is still in acceptance by those persons who write about such topics and try to make judgements. A US president is only a figurehead,. It is the administration of the time that should be judged. President Bush is a perfect example of this.

Jim Wills, Brisbane, Australia

I agree that Nixon is far too low on the list. He gets docked more for his scandals than others do, and as a Republican he gets absolutely no credit from his critics for signing the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act, or for creating the Environmental Protection Agency.

Jonathan Wells, Arlington, Texas, United States

I agree Bush and Clinton currently have too much polarised bias to be assessed &, with time, both will probably be higher up the list.
Really though, Americans place too much emphasis on presidents. They're just a figurehead for a party..you really think they decide anything for themselves?

Chris, Brisbane, Australia

The Bush's were the two worst Presidents along with Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, and maybe one other President who allowed the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral, Skull and Bones Society, Dave Rockefeller, to tell them what to do as President that will bring One World Govermt

Gary Toadvine, Cincinnati, United States of America

Not being American, its interesting to see the support for Bush jnr. He is very aggressive and its interesting to see how people like that in a leader

gary, london,

Reagan should be near the bottom as many of current problems in the middle east are the result of his foreign policy. These included giving arms to both saddam hussein and the taliban.

david, Swansea, Britain

Tom in Calgary, Watergate was not nothing. To say it was Nixon's only black mark is to ignore the contempt he showed the American people in approving the operation in the 1st place, not to mention the bombing of Cambodia. I was appalled when people began treating him as a great statesman.

Sarah, Ottawa, Canada

I just want to know how Lincoln could have avoided the Civil War. It was inevitable from the founding of the USA. Lincoln inherited essentially the Civil War from the weak (and I'm being kind here) presidency of Buchanan. I have never heard of Pres. Lincoln being referred to as a war criminal.

Lee, Atlanta, USA

best way to describe the US Civil War is as a 19th century war fought with 20th century military weapons and 18th century battle field techniques. Think about it. :)

Lee, Atlanta, USA

I would have ranked Clinton much higher on the list. The Monica Lewinsky scandal was absolutely ridiculous. It may not be pleasant to think of, but A LOT of presidents, heck politicians in general, have affairs. Clinton also dug the USA out of the massive debt created by George Bush, Sr.

Michelle, New York, NY

Grant near the top of the list? Though arguably America's best general, he was a dismal failure as president and should easily be in the bottom 10. To put Dubya after Fillmore, Harding, and Hoover? He's bad, but not nearly that bad. Your misundertanding of American history is glaring.

J, Chicago, USA

Only somebody from the South could call Lincoln a war criminal. Get over the war already!

Dave, Omaha, Nebraska, USA

Richard in Raleigh - an American criticising an American president for an avoidable war?? I trust you vote Democrat!

Andrew, Luton, UK

NO WAY Jimmy Carter is BETTER than GW Bush.

Come on! Bush has done a LOT of good for this country. Liberated 2 countries(Iraq & Afganistan) Broke Libyas will in developing Nuclear weapons,took the fight to the terroists instead of ignoring them like past pres,and has kept America safe since 911!

Ryan, Houma, USA

Oops. Something's wrong. We have had 43 presidents of the USA, not 42. Offhand I can't tell you who is missing, but somebody certainly is.

Jean Patterson, Midland, Texas, USA

Lincoln was by far the most unconstitutional president in US history. He tried to jail the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court! He brought about fiat currency to fight th Civil War, and suspended Habeas Corpus. Roosevelt was almost as destructive: he confiscated all gold, & limited freedom of speech

Jonathan, Boston, USA

To Gareth Herbert, Melbourne, Australia

Grover Cleveland was the 22nd President from 1885 - 1889 then came back and was the 24th President from 1893-1897. Benjamin Harrison served in between as the 23rd President. Hope that helps.

Libby, Cary NC, USA

Thomas Jefferson would be my number one by a large margin, for all the reasons listed, and I would imagine he must be twirling in his grave at the current incumbent, who I'd put last place by an equally large margin.

Cirep G Nol, London,

Trust Americans to come on here and claim "POLITICAL BIAS", despite the fact that the people are drawn from a wide range of views, hence the divisions over Clinton.

Steve. History may view W favourably, as it has with LBJ, but in 2008, W has had very low poll ratings for months.

Colin, London,

Anyone who has seen The West Wing would, no doubt, have Josiah Bartlet on this list. Fictional he might be and he represents the 'ideal' of an American president, but I am sure his character did more for American politics than many of the actual presidents that occupied the White House.

P. F., East Sussex, UK

I believe Jimmy Carter was the worst President of all time, unless of course Obama wins, that will be the only thing that can save Jimmy from being on the bottom. Jimmy was weak, and the world now suffers from what he did do as well as what he failed to do.

Tony, Havelock,NC, United States of America

2 early to rank the presidency of W. (maybe Clinton too). If seeds planted in Iraq & Afghanistan bloom in 10-20 years, leading to democratic revolution in Middle East, then W. will shoot up the list to the Top 10. Other than the Top 5 and Reagan, we've had a lot of a OK-to-mediocre presidents.

Mark, Jacksonville, USA

Martin van Buren is placed a little too low to my taste. The Dutchman deserves a little more credit.

Michael Johnson, Chicago, USA

Few debate Lincoln as our greatest. Top 5 usually include Washington, Jefferson and both Roosevelts.
John Adams (Alien and Sedition acts) usually not regarded as a good President. Carter is usually in the bottom 10 on this side of the pond.

Matt, New York, USA

Speaking as an American and a history Ph.D., I disagree wholeheartedly with this list and have no idea how some of these choices were made. Although I think there are many flaws in this list, I must say the most partisan appearing is the ranking of Nixon, a flawed but brilliant statesman, so low.

RM, Orlando, USA

You need new experts. The first two are no brainers. You are far too influenced by contemporary polls than by historical facts. Your bias shows. George W Bush will be in the top half, maybe even the top 10. Just two examples: he was far better than Lyndon Johnson or Jimmy Carter - it's not close.

Daniel, Point Pleasant, NJ, USA

While Lincoln was a great president, people seem to forget that Washington was one of the very few individuals in all of recorded history to turn down absolute power. In this regard he is almost mythological. In my opinion, there is no contest.

siavash rahbari, Washington DC,

Polk makes the top 10 for driving Mexicans from their land and killing them. Van Buren is consigned to the bottom 10 for driving Native Americans from their land and killing them.

John, New York, United States

You attribute the end of segregation in the armed forces to President Eisenhower. In actuality it was President Truman who did this through an executive order.

Sean McCarthy, Seattle, USA

"Truman sanctioned the atomic bombs despite knowing that Japan was trying to make a rendition, and it was military destroyed."

Japan wasn't planning to surrender.

In sanctioning the bombings he saved possibly millions of lives, including those of allied POWs.

Part of his greatness.

GregM, Townsville, Australia

Polk is way way too high at nine, unless you like Presidents who gin up a war for their own ambitions. Hmm. Having Andrew Johnson at 24(!) and Harding as high as 34 is absolutely ridiculous - our 2 worst Presidents. Nixon accomplished way too much as Pres.(tons more than Ike)to have him at 37.

Brendan , Charlottesville, United States

Where's number 43?

Gareth Herbert, Melbourne, Australia

Also you left out Woodrow Wilson's wife who ran the US while he was incapicated and did a reasonably good job as first female US president. Oh and don't forget that Alexander Haig declared himself in control after Reagan was shot.

Brad, Sydney, Australia

Having read a great deal of detail about the US Presidents and not being an American Myself, I would conclude that most Presidents were average, but some pushed to the high end of the bell curve while others pushed to the low end through their actions or in-action.
Best = Washington
Worst = W.

Brad, Sydney, Australia

Truman sanctioned the atomic bombs despite knowing that Japan was trying to make a rendition, and it was military destroyed.

David, Seville, Spain

To put Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton ahead of George Bush shows a complete ignorance of American history, or political bias, or both.

Tell you what, we Americans will leave it to you, our British friends, to rate your PMs and royalty, and you leave the rating of our Presidents to us.

Gene Retske, Ballentine, USA

No way Nixon is that low. He ended the Vietnam War, finalized public school integration, witnessed the men on the moon, signed SALT I, went to Red China, and united the country, winning 49 states in '72. Watergate is the only black mark.

Tom Stringham, Calgary, Canada

Clinton wasn't attempted to be impeached, he WAS impeached. He just was not removed from office. Same for Andrew Johnson!

Tony, Buffalo, NY, USA

Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were actually impeached but not convicted.

Brad, Columbia, US

Reagan is way overrated; as is George H.W. Bush. They should fall into the top 30. JFK could have been one or two spots higher (his words and legacy truly did inspire the nation for a decade).
No Way Clinton isn't near the top ten. He accomplished so much!
Nixon, a little higher please.

Tony, Lenoir, USA

Woodrow Wilson sponsored bands of thugs to intimidate political gatherings and illegally jailed people who spoke out against him or his administration policies, and does not belong anywhere near the top ten.

Dana, Tacoma, USA

I strongly disagree with the position of George W Bush, I believe that in time he will be seen as one of the Great Presidents of modern times.

Steve, Aberdeen / Tulsa, Scotland / USA

teddy roosevelt -
creating the idea of national parks and spearheading conservation; first attempts to curtail the business trusts and monopolies eg jp morgan and others - instigating idea of regulation (particuarly key today); character and charisma - broke from the Republicans and no wonder.

david orr, rotherham, south yorkshire

Cynthia, I think there is a fatal weakness in your argument at the phrase "followed reductio ad absurdum by a Republican Congress". Reagan set forth principles and stuck with them. Laissez-faire has been successful in many places. I say that the later 3-branch looting caused the current troubles.

Prune, Hillsboro OR, Untied Status

JFK is only there because he was shot.He had a very mediocre time in Washington. Lincoln was a war criminal. 620,00 dead in an avoidable war.
Besides those two errors pretty good.

Richard, Raleigh, USA