WAS REAGAN A BETTER PRESIDENT THAN LINCOLN? KENNEDY BETTER THAN WASHINGTON? OBAMA BETTER THAN TEDDY ROOSEVELT?

Ever since it began polling in the 1930s, the Gallup organization has asked Americans “who is the nation’s greatest president?” This year, Ronald Reagan came out on top. Those polled tended to value recent presidents over those who served long ago. Lincoln did come in second, but Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, John Kennedy, and George W. Buch all made the top ten. Jimmy Carter came in 12th. Not surprisingly, Republicans chose Reagan at a 38 percent clip (with George Washington coming in a distant second) while Democrats favored Bill Clinton at 22 percent (John Kennedy was second with 18).