American’s like to rate things. Flipping through the television stations, magazines and websites one is bombarded with countdowns of the 100 hottest celebrity bodies, the best movies of all time and as of recently the best President in U.S. history.  These countdowns may be silly, but when I have nothing better to do I often find myself plopped in front of the TV, watching a countdown, and silently anticipating the announcement of who is number one. As far as Presidents go, it is no surprise that Abraham Lincoln scored the highest overall.

President Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, is best known for being Commander and Chief during the Civil War which ended slavery in America. Had Lincoln still been alive today, he would have celebrated his 200th birthday last week. Being ranked the best President in American history would have been a great birthday gift.

Former President George W. Bush was pulling up the rear with a ranking of 36 out of 42 Presidents. However, the Presidents voted worst overall were James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Franklin Pierce, William Henry Harrison and Warren G. Harding. In President Harrison’s defense he caught a cold on his inauguration and died just a month later not giving him much time to make a huge impact on the U.S.

These low ranked Presidents need not get melancholy over their unpopularity. The Presidents are re-ranked every few years and tend to jump about in popularity depending on the state of the country. For example Ronald Reagan advanced from No. 11 to 10, George H.W. Bush rose from No. 20 to 18 and Jimmy Carter fell from No. 22 to 25.

“Today’s concerns shape our views of the past, be it in the area of foreign policy, managing the economy or human rights,” said survey adviser and participant Edna Medford in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times.