What is your favorite president/PM in your lifetime?

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As an American and someone who only lived through 4 presidencies (last year of H.W. Bush, Clinton, Bush, and Obama) I would probably have to say Clinton, though I do recognize that, despite the positives that did occur during his two term, Democrats often make elaborate hagiographies regarding his presidencies. Though, to be fair, the Reagan years often get painted by conservative hagiographers as a golden age of Republican dominance.

So, who is your favorite President/PM/Leader of your country?

Of my country, Presidet Reagan of course.

Now, if we're talking other countries, that's going to be tough.

Bill Clinton I suppose just because his terms seemed to have the least amount of war. He didn't commit fully to war he would just lob a cruise missile once in a while.

I think he was also the most diplomatic.

Also, whatever my differences are with him politically, he seemed to fully understand the role of the presidency and competent with the office.

Being followed by George W. makes Bill Clinton seem super brilliant in comparison to.

Finally, Bill can play the saxaphone. Seemingly trivial, but it sets him apart showing a guy with a real hobby and a sign of having creative/artistic ability. I believe this is a small but important area that most politicians completely lack in having imagination.

For my native country of Denmark it would have to be Poul Schlüter (from 1982-1993). His government was instrumental in saving Denmark from sovereign default in the 1980s (although North Sea oil was also a major contributing factor).

As for the US... well, lets look at the central issue haunting the US right now: The deficit.


Source: http://www.usgovernmentdebt.us/spending ... al_Deficit

Looks like (in recent history) Bill Clinton wins.

But if you look at the longer trend since WW2, the solution becomes quite obvious...

The US needs Legolas in the White House:

If you look at the budget, the unemployment rate and the home ownership rate, that would be Clinton. Back then, the biggest problem of the US was him getting a blowjob (and he sure as hell deserved that blowjob) in the oval office.

Except for the horrendous war in Vietnam,




was a decent man. He gave us Medicare.

I was very young, but it's still in my lifetime so I can vote for:

Willem Drees (PM of the Netherlands 1948-1958).

Drees was an 'old school' socialist who founded the Dutch welfare state and did a lot to rebuild the Netherlands after the devastation of WW II.

The Dutch fondly call him "Daddy Drees"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willem_Drees

Conrad Adenauer was an old school capitalist who placed germany on a capitalistic basis following the War. Germany prospered and was called the Wertschaftwunder, the Economic Wonder. People referred to Adenauer as Der Alte (the old guy).

ruveyn

You can thank him for losing the democrat vote in the South, too.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gluX03psG5Y&feature= youtube_gdata_player[/youtube]

Ronald Reagan. Although, to be fair, probably any conservative pres to follow up Carter and clean up that mess would likely have had the same high esteem.

But then again, would just any other conservative pres had the same testicular fortitude to utter the same four words at that same exact moment that killed the Soviet Union? As much as I respected Dubya, I can't see either of the Bushes pulling the same stunt with quite that effectiveness. Iraq was a small-fry by comparison.

Clinton. Reagan was technically in my life time, but I was like, two when he got out of office, and I'm not his biggest fan. I have no memories of George the First, and George the Second was a disaster. Obama's nothing to write home about. Clinton was personable, the economy boomed under him, and the only "War" to speak of was Bosnia, for which I think that supporting the UN effort there was the right thing to do.

Well let's see, this thread asks for favorite...which is highly opinionated. Favorite doesn't necessarily imply who we think is/ was the best. So let me answer it three ways:

First, let me go with who I believe was the best US president in my lifetime. My answer would be Lyndon Johnson. The reason? I will site The Daily Beast which was acting on an article from Newsweek.

The list of legislative accomplishments achieved by Johnson—in a presidency born from tragedy—earns him a spot as one of the best presidents of the modern era. He pushed the Civil Rights Act through a defiant Congress in 1964, outlawing virtually all forms of racial segregation in the process. In the latter half of his presidency, Johnson would become entangled in the Vietnam conflict. Although it consumed the end of his presidency, it is not his legacy.

Second, my favorite president is one that is not necessarily viewed as a great president (because I am removing great accomplishments during the presidency for this)---but, a favorite doesn't have to be a great. It's a personal choice. Jimmy Carter was my favorite president. That is, my favorite president as a human being, and a man I believe I would feel comfortable with---and what I feel is an honest man that happened to be president. As quoted by Wikipedia:

Carter's presidency was initially viewed by most as a failure. In historical rankings of US presidents, the Carter presidency has ranged from No. 19 to #34. Although his presidency received mixed reviews, his peace keeping and humanitarian efforts since he left office have made Carter renowned as one of the most successful ex-presidents in US history. The documentary, Back Door Channels: The Price of Peace (2009), credits Carter's efforts at Camp David, which brought peace between Israel and Egypt, with bringing the only meaningful peace to the Middle East. The film opened the 2009 Monte-Carlo Television Festival in an invitation-only royal screening on June 7, 2009 at the Grimaldi Forum in the presence of Albert II, Prince of Monaco.

Now let me add a third option here---a great president and also one of my favorites for reasons other than how I view Jimmy Carter---Bill Clinton. As sited by The Daily Beast:

During his administration, the U.S. solidified its stance as the global economic leader, enjoying particular dominance in technology and the development of the Internet. U.S. monetary policy during this period, under Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, favored low interest rates and free lending—what was needed at a time of strong growth in the U.S. and abroad. After his presidency, the Arkansas native endured criticism over his economic policies, but he left office with the nation better than when he arrived—the truest test of presidential greatness.

And since I am a professional musician, I liked the way Clinton played saxophone.

Let me add that it's possible for President Obama to make his way into one of my categories here, but since he is still President, I don't feel like I can judge him yet. His future work, in my opinion, must be looked at before I can render a decision on him.

And now you may be confused by who I am really saying is my favorite president because I have listed more than one. Well...I guess I just gave you an answer similar to the ones politicians often give---avoiding a definite answer.

Kennedy was a womanizer and the son of a boot-legger. Lyndon Johnson stole an election and was a crook. Lyndon Johnson also got 50,000 Americans killed in Viet Nam (and for what? We -lost- that war!)

Other than that, they were o.k.

From the Wiki article on Johnson:

1948 contested election[edit]


Lyndon B. Johnson as Senator from Texas
In the 1948 elections, Johnson again ran for the Senate and won. This election was highly controversial: in a three-way Democratic Party primary Johnson faced a well-known former governor, Coke Stevenson, and a third candidate. Johnson drew crowds to fairgrounds with his rented helicopter dubbed "The Johnson City Windmill". He raised money to flood the state with campaign circulars and won over conservatives by voting for the Taft-Hartley act (curbing union power) as well as by criticizing unions.
Stevenson came in first but lacked a majority, so a runoff was held. Johnson campaigned even harder this time around, while Stevenson's efforts were surprisingly poor. The runoff count took a week. The Democratic State Central Committee (not the State of Texas, because the matter was a party primary) handled the count, and it finally announced that Johnson had won by 87 votes. By a majority of one member (29–28) the committee voted to certify Johnson's nomination, with the last vote cast on Johnson's behalf by Temple, Texas, publisher Frank W. Mayborn, who rushed back to Texas from a business trip in Nashville, Tennessee. There were many allegations of fraud on both sides. Thus one writer alleges that Johnson's campaign manager, future Texas governor John B. Connally, was connected with 202 ballots in Precinct 13 in Jim Wells County that had curiously been cast in alphabetical order and just at the close of polling. Some of these voters swore that they had not voted that day.[22] Robert Caro argued in his 1989 book that Johnson had stolen the election in Jim Wells County and other counties in South Texas, as well as rigging 10,000 ballots in Bexar County alone.[23] An election judge, Luis Salas, said in 1977, that he had certified 202 fraudulent ballots for Johnson.[24]
The state Democratic convention upheld Johnson. Stevenson went to court, but—with timely help from his friend Abe Fortas—Johnson prevailed. Johnson was elected senator in November and went to Washington tagged with the ironic label "Landslide Lyndon," which he often used deprecatingly to refer to himself.

ruveyn

Then that was worth losing, as civil rights was the goal.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

Even though I was alive during the Johnson years, i was so young that I don't even remember thje guy, so he'd hardly count.
That being the case, the best president of my (conscious) lifetime was Bill Clinton. As much as I love Obama, it's too soon to rate him positively or negatively.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer