Obama the worst president ever? Not even close

With less than a year to go before President Obama leaves office, some commentators are already trying to assess his legacy. Among those are die-hard Obama haters like Donald Trump, who has called Obama “probably the worst president in the history of our country,” and Rush Limbaugh, who rated him “the worst president we have ever had.” Even NFL Hall of Fame player-coach Mike Ditka has gotten in on the act, saying, “Barack Obama is a fine man (but) he’s the worst president we’ve ever had.”

Really? Here’s a guy whose administration has lowered the unemployment rate significantly, extended health insurance to millions more Americans, cut a nuclear deal with Iran, opened an embassy in Cuba, helped legalize same-sex marriage, been a leader in the fight against global climate change and ordered the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden.

Sure, his presidency hasn’t been all unicorns and balloons – especially when it comes to his dealings in Syria and against the Islamic State. But what president has ever been perfect? And, honestly, every time I see or hear someone say this POTUS is The. Worst. President. Ever, all I can think is, “You need a refresher course in American history, because Obama has a long, long way to go before he can top these losers”:

▪ James K. Polk – launched a war against Mexico because he believed in the concept of Manifest Destiny, saying at his inauguration that “foreign powers do not seem to appreciate the true character of our government. To extend (our union’s) limits is to extend the dominions of peace over additional territories and increasing millions. The world has nothing to fear from military ambition in our government.” Guess he didn’t consider Mexico part of the world community.

▪ James Buchanan – basically did nothing to stop the oncoming Civil War. Referred to the territorial spread of slavery as “happily, a matter of little practical importance.” Has been ranked among the three worst presidents ever in every poll of U.S. historians taken since 1948.

▪ Andrew Johnson – Lincoln’s successor, was a white supremacist who opposed passage of the 14th Amendment, which extended citizenship rights to all Americans; vetoed a Civil Rights Bill, a veto that Congress overturned; favored state control over who could vote, based on race; barely survived an impeachment trial.

▪ William McKinley – started the completely unnecessary Spanish-American War as a way to extend America’s imperialist reach; pursued a racist colonial war against Philippine insurgents, a war marked by atrocities on both sides. Essentially began America’s reign as an interventionist super power.

▪ Warren G. Harding – his appointment of friends and cronies to government positions led to a number of scandals, including in the Veterans Administration and Justice Department; his administration’s reputation was forever tarnished by the Tea Pot Dome affair, which involved leases granted to a Wyoming oil field and led to the imprisonment of Harding’s Interior secretary; also notorious for several extramarital affairs, one of which produced a love child.

▪ Herbert Hoover – elected just as the Great Depression was beginning, he rejected programs that involved outright relief and was a poor communicator who came across as mean-spirited; also signed a tariff act that began international trade wars that only made the Depression worse.

▪ Richard M. Nixon – ran a criminal conspiracy from the White House. Resigned under disgrace before being impeached. His vice president, attorney general, legal counsel and several members of his White House staff were all convicted of crimes.

▪ George W. Bush – 9/11, Iraq, Guantanamo, waterboarding, Dick Cheney, the Patriot Act, economic meltdown, bungled and delayed response to Katrina. Definitely in the running for worst president ever.

I could also mention Jimmy Carter (Iran hostage crisis), Woodrow Wilson (racist who segregated the civil service), Ronald Reagan (Iran-contra, support of right wing death squads and the apartheid government in South Africa, ignoring the AIDS crisis) and several others.

I’m not saying Obama is the best president ever. He’s not. But compare all these other guys with a POTUS who, despite unending opposition from Republicans since the day he entered office, has helped the country recover from the greatest economic downturn since the Depression; advocated human rights; banned torture; preferred negotiation over bombs and, in the words of conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks, is a man of “basic integrity,” “basic humanity” and “grace under pressure.”

For those who think Obama is our worst president, I have to question what criteria they’re judging presidents by – from a racial standpoint, from a rigidly ideological, take-no-prisoners angle, or just from sheer ignorance. They need to go back to the history books and get a grip.

This story was originally published April 22, 2016 at 5:05 PM with the headline "Obama the worst president ever? Not even close."