Washington The Great

In order:
Abraham Lincoln (In such a dangerous time he did nearly everything right. If Washington saved the ideals of the revolution, Lincoln preserved those ideals from those who would destroy them either to protect or sunder the union.)
Teddy Roosevelt (Served during a period of relative tranquility he could easily have been another of the do-nothing presidents. Instead he was probably our best peace time president, and the president who most balanced populism with respect for capitalism. Square deal, mediating the coal strike, breaking the railroads, combating yellow fever, the great white fleet, the Roosevelt Corollary resolving the Venezuela debt with Europe, making the US a diplomatic world power with the Russo-Japanese War and Franco-German in Morroco, and finally the Panama frickin Canal. Let's just not mention the simplified spelling.)
Thomas Jefferson (Like Lincoln, preserved the idealsof the revolution by carrying out reforms on programs that had outlived their usefulness. Repeal of the Sedition Act and one of the Alien Acts, production of a professional military with West Point, preserving the power of the judiciary when he could have opposed Marbury v Madison, firing the American spirit with the Lousiana purchase, making the first serious opposition to the slave trade with the outlawing of the import of slaves, and moving the US into international affairs with the Embargo Act and the Barbary War.)

Other "Great" presidents like Reagan and FDR don't make the cut for me because their noticeable failures. While FDR was an amazing man who accomplished some truely amazing things, its how he did it more than what he did that stops me. Where Teddy used his tremendous popularity to browbeat Congress, FDR just dragged the Constitution through the mud. And while I respect Reagan's moral/morale/foreign policy acheivements, his utter train wreck domestically/fiscally gets him in the end.

1. George Washington
2. John Adams
3. Thomas Jefferson
4. Lincoln
5. Ronald Reagan
6. Andrew Jackson
7. Theodore Roosevelt
8. Franklin D. Roosevelt
9. Woodrow Wilson
10. Dwight D. Eisenhower

John Adams!

1. GW
2. AL
3. RR
4. TJ
5. GWB...history will reveal.

Thomas Jefferson
George Washington
John Adams
Abraham Lincoln

In no particular order.

1)Washington (easy I agree class by himself)
2)Reagan (for both being a great rallier of men and taking the US at a time of need from suicidal depression from Vietnam back to pride in America and our ways while checking then rolling back the Soviet advances right through to its collapse)
3)Monroe (if it wasn't for both "manefest destiny" & "the Monroe Doctrine" we would only have about half the stars on our flag and the Colonial Europeans would still share border with US) it truley would be another world. A very under credited president indeed.
4)Andrew Jackson (not only did he save Lousiana and in by doing so probably the entire Ohio river valley and Med west for US control expansion rather than Colonial European, but he also personally put a star on the map himself with Florida).
5)Teddy Roosevelt (A truley great rallier of people I have seen video even without the sound you can feel the spirit, besides how can "talk softley but carry a Big stick" not rank in the top 5 alone?).

Martin Van Buren

reference Seinfeld...

the 8th president, he was the meanest.

1)Washington ..left on time
2)Lincoln ..gutsiest by FAR, but may be in GW's class
3)Truman ..against all odds, biologically politically unafraid, made the tough calls
4)FDR, socialist or not, did WHATEVER IT TAKES to secure the realm
5)TR dynamite on wheels
6)Jefferson .. race between politically calculating and pure greatness (and I'm U VA)
7)Reagan ..reversed the nation course and discourse, then killed the USSR without massive casualties
8)Jackson .. ('Let Mr., Marshall enforce his decision' ..gawdalmighty !)
9) Ike - supreme mgr to peace and prosperity always a winning combo
10) Polk ..the banking system, gets away with the gettin ghte NW from GB, and oh yeah ... Kalleeefornya

I would have to add the first George Bush to the list. I believe that he was certainly the best president in my lifetime (1948-pres)

Jackson.

a. Spelled as he pleased.
b. May or may not have been married to a prostitute and killed a man for suggesting that she was a whore.
c. Killed everyone who got on his bad side, as a gentleman would.
d. Ignored the cabinet and spent time in the kitchen.
e. Took Florida.
f. Aimed low.
g. Beat the guy who tried to assasinate him with a cane.

What, nobody has Carter on their list?

heh, just kidding!