Books reviews, current events, and other musings

 
A Three Way Action forum asked the question, "Who was the best president to hold office during your lifetime?" Here's my response:

I was born in 1967, which excludes Kennedy from my choices. As an old-fashioned liberal (who supports more social programs, less defense spending, civil rights, environmental regulation, etc.), I won't consider any Republicans.

That leaves Johnson, Carter, and Clinton. I admire LBJ's support of the Civil Rights Movement and his War on Poverty, but it's difficult to overlook the escalation of the Vietnam War. Now comes the tricky part: choosing between Carter and Clinton.

In Carter's favor, he's more liberal than Clinton; he would never have signed Clinton's Welfare Reform [reduction] act. The Egypt-Israel peace according was a major accomplishment of the Carter administration, though the Clinton administration managed to end the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia. The economy was much stronger during the Clinton era, but you can't blame Carter for increased oil prices, the major cause of economic problems in the 1970's. Carter had problems with micromanagement, while the Clinton administration was chaotic at first but got its act together later on. Both men are very intelligent and knowledgable, though Clinton is brilliant and has better political skills.

Also, you need to consider the Clinton scandals. Clinton bears responsibility for the Lewinsky affair, though he couldn't have anticipated the out-of-control consequences. Also, there's a philosophical question of whether you can blame Clinton for the hysterical and destructive behavior that the conservatives exhibited in response to his existence.

Overall, I'd select Carter as the best, though Clinton runs a close second.
posted by Julian at 12:06 PM

 
My book review page is on The Ring of Book Reviews webring. A few minutes ago, I noticed that the previous member of that ring is the Pagan Review of Books, an amusing coincidence, considering that my online identity comes from the pagan emperor Julian the Apostate.
posted by Julian at 11:16 PM

 
Molly Ivins has a good line about the current economic situation:

The economy is a mess. We are now in the second dip of a double-dip recession. ("Looks like a 'W,'" say the economists -- another reason why economists are not famous for their humor.)

posted by Julian at 11:37 PM

 
My girlfriend and I just made donations to Peace Action and the Democratic Party. We're terrified of a war against Iraq and a Republican-dominated Congress. It's satisfying and empowering to take action, instead of just reading news stories and fretting about what might happen. Though, with most Democrats planning to support the war resolution, I wavered on the Democratic Party donation.
posted by Julian at 8:52 PM