This chart says it all...

[FourScore]

"...Among historians, there is no doubt into which echelon he falls–his competitors are Millard Fillmore, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, and Franklin Pierce, the worst of the presidential worst. But does Bush actually come in dead last?

Yes. History News Network’s poll of 109 historians found that 61 percent of them rank Bush as “worst ever” among U.S. presidents. Bush’s key competition comes from Buchanan, apparently, and a further 2 percent of the sample puts Bush right behind Buchanan as runner-up for “worst ever.” 96 percent of the respondents place the Bush presidency in the bottom tier of American presidencies. And was his presidency (it’s a bit wishful to speak of his presidency in the past tense–after all there are several more months left to go) a success or failure? On that score the numbers are still more resounding: 98 percent label it a “failure...”

http://harpers.org/archive/2008/04/hbc-90002804

[drmeow]

1. Nice to know that historians

now agree with what I (and many others here at DU) have been saying for anywhere from 1 to 6 1/2 years (we couldn't say he was the worst president ever until he had actually been in office long enough to demonstrate being so which I personally date to the day before Sept. 11th when they managed to completely fail pay attention to the screaming intelligence and let 9/11 happen - however I'm sure many of us predicted he would be a terrible president the day he announced his candidacy, those of us who had paid attention to his history and his family history).

[PetraPooh]

3. I've been saying it since he won the primary in 2000. The man is a moron!

I still cannot believe he won that or the election or the next election. Oh, that's right, he rigged the elections so he could steal them. Nonetheless, I'm discouraged beyond words that Gore nor Kerry fought for accurate re-counts and voter enfranchisment.

[Triana]

4. He never won a thing. He was installed...

...and he's a psychopath.

[PetraPooh]

5. We certainly agree on that!

[krispos42]

8. With FAS...

His mom even gave him a t-shirt

[MagickMuffin]

12. As I recall Gore filed a lawsuit in Florida, Bush filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court

And as far as Kerry goes, just How could he filed charges against a system of paperless ballots?.?.?:shrug:

I ask this question every time someone makes the claim Kerry didn't fight the (S)election in '04, so far no one has yet to answer my question.

[mdmc]

2. goodness

thats one sided...

[Spiffarino]

6. This isn't a fair assessment of Bush's legacy

After all, historical judgments are typically formed over a long time and with great hindsight. And so, in fifty years when our kids and grandkids tally the final score, that last two percent will have made its decision:

Worst.President.Ever.

[samsingh]

7. who are the stupid 2%?

[trotsky]

15. Hey, they're probably not stupid, just wealthy.

After all, Chimpy's reign has been enormously successful if you're rich.

[samsingh]

18. they can be wealthy and stupid

[samsingh]

19. they can be wealthy and stupid

[Marr]

9. I have a suspicion that history will record the Bush II presidency as the official end of

the United States' global dominance. And frankly, I'm not sure that's such a bad thing-- for Americans in particular. I expect the average Brit did a lot better after their empire was effectively dissolved. No great war machine to feed their children and money into.

[Bigmack]

17. Me, too...

I'm just concerned that the US will go from an Empire to Third World in one jump!

We have sure as hell lost any friends who might help us.

[Jensen]

10. K&R !

[NuttyFluffers]

11. Bush v. Buchanan is the difference between success into failure v. delaying inevitable failure

it takes little to be an inept boob during troubling times time and let things get worse.
it takes talent to take prosperous and good times and turn them into utter unanimous shit, discord, hatred, bankruptcy, death, wars (plural), and failure.

that's the basic defining difference in why Bush succeeds Buchanan. the question was not hard from the beginning.

now, imagine if Bush was president during Buchanan's time! can you imagine the epic level of clusterfuck!?
now, imagine if Buchanan was president during Bush's time. how far could he have taken us down this road? how "talented" is he, really?

[Perry Logan]

13. The worst thing that can happen to Republicans is to get into power.

[SteinbachMB]

14. He still has 9 months

...to turn it around. Who knows, he might be able to bump it up to 5%.

[bvar22]

16. Wrong.... Bush administration a TOTAL success.

*More POWER and Money concentrated into fewer hands

*LESS regulation ond oversight of Corporations

*MORE "Free Trade"

*The RICH are MUCH RICHER

*Social programs defunded

*MIC stronger and much richer

*Middle Class Working Americans have LESS voice in government...CEOs MORE voice

*Record PROFITS for Oil Corps

*Anti Consumer judges appointed to Supreme Court

Mission Accomplished (with the active help of the DLC)!

[FlyingSquirrel]

20. Doh

[aikoaiko]

21. He succeeded at failing ---- what else could explain all the hard work.

[FogerRox]

22. I dont have my reading glasses, it looks a big ZERO

oh wait its a pie chart, I like pie.

[otherlander]

23. Bwahahahahahaha