On Criteria...

Legacy... Presidential landmarks... six of one, half a dozen of the other, right?

Call it what you will, each President brings something to the Office that wasn't there before. Carter brought the Malaise Speech and the Department of Education... Nixon brought Watergate and an end to the Vietnam War... Kennedy brought in a "new generation" and the "cult of personality".

I don't think anyone can deny that certain aspects of "legacy" are a bit arbitrary, and many change as the decades (and centuries) roll by, but others are as specific and measurable as anything we could hope to measure. LBJ's signing of the Civil Rights Act, Bush Jr's orchestration of Homeland Security as a Cabinet-level department, Wilson's design of the Federal Reserve system... all fall under multiple catagories in our grading sytem, but can anyone deny they factor into "legacy", too?

If we leave out or ignore "legacy"... where does that leave our understanding of Washington's two terms? Which of the past Presidents had a more impacting "legacy" on the office of President than the first one? Obviously, none... it was a rhetorical questions.

I think the important thing is to make sure we all are as objective as possible when making the report cards. If we are particularly critical of any one aspect of a past Presidency, then we should be prepared to defend our criticisms with undeniable, objective facts... not feelings, emotions, or opinion. This is as true for ME as anyone else that might care to participate, and I promise right now to listen to any issues that stem from my analysis. I can be just as critical of FDR as I can Reagan... I swear.

One more thing... rather than begin (as we did before) with the current, or last, President... perhaps we should begin with the "benchmark" and work out from there. Does anyone deny that the "benchmark" has to be Washington? Who else contends for the top spot? Lincoln? He's a top-tier President, no question... but Washington defined the Office, in almost every single possible way. Also, do we all do our own cards, or do we work on one card at a time, collectively? Either way is fine with me... I just want to know which is the most expedient way to go, that's all.