Comments on: The ‘Worst’ in History

By: Obama to boldly go where no geek has gone before | President Story

Obama to boldly go where no geek has gone before | President Story — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 14:41:04 +0000

[...] The ‘Worst’ in History PoliGazette ,December 24, 2008 He served as VP to both John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson, resigning under the latter to take a seat in the Senate. He championed “nullification” … [...]

By: Michael Merritt

Michael Merritt — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 04:22:38 +0000

Too bad approval ratings only go back to FDR. It’d be interesting to see the approval among the population of some politicians like Jefferson or Agnew while they were in office. They may not be perfect, but at least you get an idea.

By: c3

c3 — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:57:52 +0000

To judge what is “historical” requires not a little distance in time. This is like sports announcer declaring “X” the greatest quarterback of all time WHILE “X” IS STILL PLAYING!!

By: c3

c3 — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:55:55 +0000

C Stanley : One wonders how many of the respondents can even name, say, half a dozen vice presidents. Other surveys have revealed a shocking level of ignorance of the names of elected officials (even current ones, let alone historical figures) so I’m not inclined to place any weight whatsoever on these public pronouncements.

EXACTLY!!!

By: C Stanley

C Stanley — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:03:07 +0000

One wonders how many of the respondents can even name, say, half a dozen vice presidents. Other surveys have revealed a shocking level of ignorance of the names of elected officials (even current ones, let alone historical figures) so I’m not inclined to place any weight whatsoever on these public pronouncements.

I’m certainly not a fan of Cheney but agree that the “worst in history” label is misplaced. Even leaving aside the above mentioned ignorance which would give the respondents a very incomplete basis for comparison, there’s also the fact that historical judgments can’t be made contemporaneously with the term of office. That’s kind of the point; historical assessments are based on a long term view and knowledge of a series of events which hasn’t even happened yet; events which determine how the actions of the current administration will play out.