Because of my interest in politics, I am often asked if George W. Bush is the worst president in U.S. history. I used to give a definitive "NO" to that question, offering instead Richard Nixon and his criminal behavior. After all, Nixon had engaged in a criminal conspiracy to thwart the investigation of Watergate, had approved the payment of "hush money" to Watergate burglars, and had participated in other obstructions of justice. Nixon's whole Administration was replete with criminals -- from his Chief of Staff, to his former Attorney General, to his first Vice-President, Spiro T. Agnew. Recall that unrelated to Watergate, Agnew was indicted on charges of tax evasion, bribery, and extortion. In short, Nixon and his felonious crew set the bar for worst president pretty high.
However, I am now willing to bifurcate this category. When it comes to criminal behavior, Nixon still takes the prize. However, George W. Bush now brings up the rear on the dimension of presidential incompetence. From the Iraq disaster to the bumbling response to Hurrican Katrina to the current US Attorneys fiasco -- Bush has proven to be an absolute disaster with repsect to competence. When he was first elected we were told that he would restore some order to the White House, in which President Clinton's managerial style was often criticized for being too chaotic. Bush would bring his M.B.A. skills to work in the White House, and he surrounded himself with "grown-ups" like Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and others. This has proven to be another "talking point" that bears little resemblance to reality.
* Nixon/Bush morph photo from an ad produced by MoveOn.org
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