John Quincy Adams. The first one I remember was Polk vs. Clay, and my first vote was for...

[NNadir]

...Winfield Scott.

I was really pissed off when that asshole Franklin Pierce won the election, which lead to Buchanan...

Of course, Buchanan was, until Trump, considered the worst President ever, so it kind of gives one hope, since Lincoln came along and cleaned up the mess and actually made the country better than it was when those two asses before him held the office. We'll need another Lincoln, but we could do without Civil War II.

I note that the United States had a President before Trump who was also a traitor, albeit not to a foreign power as Trump is to Russia.

Ex-President John Tyler served in the Confederate government, and thus was a traitor to his country.

[blm]

1. Heheh

You so cute

[rzemanfl]

2. Good post. n/t

[NoPasaran]

3. If only we had elected Old Fuss and Feathers

He was a good man and a true patriot.

[NNadir]

6. Who knows...

...Although a Virginian, he remained loyal to his country in the Civil War, and though way past his prime, he did basically design the strategy, the Anaconda plan, that - albeit with great modification - ultimately won the Civil War for the good guys.

But overall, in the 1850's, the Americans were the bad guys. We held human beings in such a way as to treat them as farm animals, and were launched on several exercises in genocide.

I'm not sure that even a putative President Scott could have solved that problem.

Pierce was a horrible human being, but maybe the fact that he and Buchanan were the Trumps of their time, that horrible war did set the United States on the path toward being worthy of its ideals, mostly because of the work of the 2nd greatest President of the 19th century, the vastly underrated President Grant.

[Aristus]

7. I became a huge admirer of Grant after reading his biography by Ron Chernow.

Grant was an amazing man. Growing up in the South, I was raised with the "Lee was a kind, grandfatherly man who hated slavery, but loved Virginia too much to fight against her. Grant was a cold-blooded butcher" myth.

I knew long ago that most of that wasn't true, but I didn't understand the towering heights of Grant's gifts until I read the Chernow bio. The countless ways in which Grant has been underrated do a disservice to the man and the country he saved.

[tblue37]

8. Barbara Bush (born Barbara Pierce) was close kin to Franklin Pierce, and also Benedict Arnold. nt

[IrishEyes]

4. Either you are at least 191 years old or this is a past life.

Either way is pretty cool. I would like another Lincoln. I was just reading a book about him.

[NNadir]

5. I often feel that the former is the case.

We need another Lincoln. It has been the genius of America for great individuals to rise up after disastrous leadership.

Trump/McConnell are traitors, selling their country for trifles to a Russian dictator.

It will require great character and strength for whomever follows to provide it.

[Bucky]

9. Never put too much credit to Millard Fillmore. He was a WINO, you know

A Whig in Name Only. Lincoln consulted with him on how the navigate the crisis, right after being elected in 1860. Not sure what advice the ol' Wool Carder gave Lincoln, but it's hard to argue against success.