Judging Presidents

Many are saying that George W. Bush will go down in history as among the worst ever. Of course history must be the judge, and history isn't a consistent judge. Some who are judged poorly at the time of their time in office can grow in stature as time moves on. Even Richard Nixon has his fans now that he's dead!

At the time he held office, James K. Polk was considered a failed president -- for leading the nation into an unpopular war of conquest. Of course, had he not done this, would I be a citizen of Mexico? Of course at the turn of the 20th Century, as American imperialism came into it's hey day, Polk's stature rose. I've read some reviews of our presidents that place him quite high -- he was after all a believer in Manifest Destiny and envisioned American rule everywhere. He was a protege of Andrew Jackson, but chose to serve only one term. Apparently they said at the time -- good riddance.

Many of us are saying the same about GW. So, was Polk the worst president ever? I don't think it's a contest with the current occupant, who is chasing down Richard Nixon and Warren G. Harding for first place.

For more on Polk and his war of conquest read this brief essay at Ethics Daily by Britt Towery.