AMERICA'S BEST AND WORST PRESIDENTS

From Robert Tracinski's article, America's Best and Worst Presidents, Part 1.

Washington's most important quality, the one for which he was revered in his own lifetime, was his integrity. He was not an intellectual or a theorist in the way that Jefferson and Adams were. He is not known for elucidating the principles of Republicanism or designing the structure of the new American government. He was known for standing by those principles with complete consistency in action. ...

In the coming days, I will continue this series with a discussion of Jefferson's presidency. In the meantime, I want to invite comments from TIA Daily readers on their picks for the best and worst presidents. (Pick the five best and three worst overall, and also the best of the Founding Era, the best of the 19th century, and the best of the 20th century.) ...

Most (if not all) presidents after the founding era do not approach the same level as our first five presidents. The question is: why? Why did America fail to sustain the level of political virtue it achieved at its founding into its later years? (TIADaily.com, 02/21/05.)

What do you say: Presidents' Day or Washington's Birthday? On my Saluté (a collection of vintage beverage posters) novelty calendar, it says: "Presidents' Day" and "Dia de los Presidentes (Puerto Rico)" on February 21, and Washington's Birthday on February 22.

Here is an excerpt from my post, PRESIDENTS' DAY.

On this day, I take the opportunity to "rattle" my tip jar. If you have a selfish interest in keeping this blog going, take some time and think about how much value this site is for you. You have several options to pick if you want to support my blogging. If you have a product or service you want to promote, place an ad through Blogads. If you want to give cash, use the PayPal button. If you want to buy me stuff, check out my wish lists at Amazon. Scroll down the page and look under the category titled "Support" for more ways to support this blog. Please explore the ways you could support my efforts, by clicking on the links and banners. I want to end this PR message by thanking all my readers for visiting my blog, subscribing to email updates, commenting on my posts, and for you who have purchased EGO products and books from Amazon (via affiliated links and wish lists). (EGO, PRESIDENTS' DAY, 02/16/04.)

UPDATE 02/23/05:
Go to InstaPundit for two book recommendations (Founding Father and Washington's Crossing). Have you read them? Then read the the post, A rare greatness, at Power Line.