Muscatine

Good afternoon M-Dave, many others. This list of leaders doesn't get to the better part of popularity/unpopularity among All our leaders. But of these, they all have those pluses and minuses that showed them hop back and forth along the lines of good and not so good. But given the failing trends ahead of his presidency, I'd have to give Carter the mark of B- ahead of those before and after his term. I know that there will be those who will ask, WHY? Let's start with the least popular of his efforts to better realize that, "WHY?" Jimmy C. did himself no popularity favors by establishing the "draft registration system." Boycotting the 1980 Summer games, by making consessions with Latin America, or giving agricutural producers plenty of reasons to detast his policy of embargo. (Russia just loved our nearly free wheat under Nixon/Ford) The plethora of energy malaise and failing economy he inherrited from Nixon and Ford didn't stand a chance of getting better, since "WE Americans" were absolutely blinded by our oil needs and transportional prowess. His energy conservation innitiatives were bountiful and intelligent but largfely ignored and abused by oil interests and the then DEMOCTRATIC CONGRESS. IF allowed to foster growth, and to stimulate Americans to thinking about it, that alone would have been a tremendous boone for our nation and resistance of the oil company's power over all our lives and government with a stronger economy. Carter returned the panama canal to panaminians, he created SALT TWO, he went miles into equalizing educational funding, he did more for diverse racial employment than any president. He gave amnesty to Vietnam era war protesters who left the country rather than serve in a war they didn't believe in. He started the greatest national energy conservationism EVER seen unto this very day.(Badly needed too). He continued normalized realtions with China and made historic leaps in peace with Egypt and Isreal. He is the third president to win a Nobel Prize. He began to cut government by reducing cabinet positions by 1/3rd. Cabinet members had to drive thier own cars. He eleiminated the Civi Aeronautics Board. He diversified and condensed energy/health/housing/education/human services and for the first time in 100 years, made major civil services reform. Carter fought continually with the Democratically controlled congress under Tip O'Neal, with his "19 wasteful projects hit list" where the congressional power overwhelmed his efforts and gutted Carter's Consumer Protection efforts and sent payroll taxes to new highs and thanks to congress, special intersts were rewarded with huge tax benefits for the time. Carter called the Democratic congress "Revenous Wolves" Many outside the finger pointing circles fail to realize that the policies of Nixon and Ford while posturing with OPEC and by eliminating the "Gold Standard" Nixon set the stage for these problems with OPEC by deflating the dollar strength and profit structure the oil producers had always measured. By arming Isreal thus upsetting the Arab states after the war, and establishing wage and price controls after the 1973 crisis. Carter generally got the blame for the resultant malaise the nation suffered though it began long before carter under Nixon and continued under Ford. In fact, should Carter be president in January 2009, the efforts that he made from 1977 to 1981 would today be much better recieved and undrstood since Americans it seems, have finally begun to understand just how badly these changes Carter tried feverishly to establish, have been needed, but went unrewarded by his Democratic congress. Carter suffered greatly after the Iranian hostage taking of US citizens and failed attempt to rescue them. But little known or understood and unrewarded, were his efforts to actually secure the hostages release that took place shortly after Reagan/Bush took office. Jimmy Carter, an honest and honorable peace loving man, has gone onward to prove that had he been given the time and cooperation he needed and deserved by Congress and we the people, , he just might have been one of America's greatest presidents. One that truly cared about American's future and economics rather than corporate america's profits and power. I feel that under Carter--- today, we would already be generating enough clean heat and electricity, while driving SUPER efficient cars all over this nation, without the need of one drop of additional oil, or at least foriegn oil. All those others of that list?, Just different faces of corruption and profit dealers for the richest and most powerful greed mongerers in our short history. Forgive my many typos please? Merry christmas and God Bless.

"someone name the top three presidents of the last 50 yrs": (I take it you mean since 1958)

If you judge the "top" by those that have actually accomplished something of lasting value, it would have to be Nixon, Reagan, and G. W. Bush.

Nixon for bringing the Vietnam war to an end, and opening up various isolated nations, including China, for economic and political discourse and trade.

Reagan for defeating atheistic Communism and ending the cold war.

W. for rallying the coalition nations and demonstrating that terrorism can be blocked along with some unheralded progress in bringing some previously hostile middle eastern nations into a sphere of cooperation with our country.

Most others were just "playing in the sand box".

Of more importance, I would think, would be naming the top three Congresses of the last 50 years.   Given that Congress is where the real action is and committments are made.

I find your hero-worshipping of Carter a little nauseating, Lstreat. Carter was sickening too...that's why America disagrees with you and why he was thrown out of office after one term. Currently, he's a traitor of our country. But, I will note that you place blame at the feet of a liberal congress. And that has always been a wonder of mine....Why people would vote for liberals that, to this day, are on record accomplishing very little good.

We the people...respectfully disagreed with you in the fall elections of 1980.

I find any hero worshipping of W more than nauseating.  Down right vomit inducing ill.