Worst president ever? Not who you'd think

I stumbled across a listing today of the Top 10 Worst US Presidents. The List Universe relied on a table on Wikipedia that averaged surveys since 1948, so naturally the more recent a president is, the fewer surveys available to establish the average.

Generally speaking, the people taking the surveys were historians and political scientists, with care (presumably) given to ensuring ideological balance among those surveyed.

So, here they are, the Worst Presidents Ever:

10. Calvin Coolidge (Republican, 1923-29)
9. Richard Nixon (Republican, 1969-74)
8. Zachary Taylor (Whig, 1849-50)
7. John Tyler (Whig, 1841-45)
6. Millard Fillmore (Whig, 1850-53)
5. Ulysses S. Grant (Republican, 1869-77)
4. Andrew Johnson (Democrat, 1865-69)
3. Franklin Pierce (Democrat, 1853-57)
2. James Buchanan (Democrat, 1857-61)

... and the Number One Worst President Ever:

1. Warren G. Harding (Republican, 1921-23)

The list writer notes that William Henry Harrison and James Garfield, both of whom actually placed in the top ten, were omitted because of the brevity of their terms: one month and six months, respectively, before both died in office.

Interestingly, though, the list writer also adds this postscript:

As he is not on the list, I am sure you are all eager to know how the current President, George W Bush, fared. He ranked at number 21 worst, followed closely at 22nd worst by Bill Clinton. Jimmy Carter ranked at 14th worst.

Undoubtedly, Drunky McStagger will surge up the rankings as history sheds further light on his utter incompetence and malfeasance. But for now, with two surveys ranking him at 23rd worst and 19th worst, he falls pretty much right in the middle. Just give him time ...