What Makes A Good President?

Andy Rooney Explains Why Gerald Ford Was An Exceptional Man

(CBS)  The following is a weekly 60 Minutes commentary by CBS News correspondent Andy Rooney.

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Being president of The United States may be the worst job there is. It's certainly the hardest. You have the whole world on your back and no matter what you do, a lot of people hate you for it. Our 38th president, Gerald Ford, was an exception. Almost no one hated Gerald Ford.

When I was very young, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president. He's considered one of our greatest, but he was also one of the most disliked by a lot of people. My father was a businessman and all his business friends hated FDR.

Harry Truman was never considered a great president but, like Gerald Ford, not many people disliked him.

Dwight Eisenhower was a war hero and a popular president, too. It wasn’t so much what Ike did that made him popular. It was what he didn’t do. He played a lot of golf as president.

John F. Kennedy was one of the most likeable presidents we ever had although not everyone liked him. The day he was assassinated was one of the worst days in this country's history.

Lyndon Johnson inherited the job when Kennedy was murdered. He was one of the most professional politicians we ever had in the White House, although not the most popular, probably because of the war in Vietnam.

I forget how Richard Nixon got elected. It makes you wonder about our democratic system of government. I mean, how could we have done that?

Gerald Ford fell into the White House and became our 38th president when Nixon was pushed out of it. We were lucky to have such a good, normal American to step in to the job.

Jimmy Carter was the political opposite of Nixon. He was smart and it was hard to dislike Jimmy Carter, even if you were a Republican.

Ronald Reagan was the only movie star ever elected president. A lot of people thought he was better in the movies than in the White House.

George Bush was an acceptable but undistinguished president who's better known now as George W. Bush's father.

Bill Clinton might have gone down in history as one of the best presidents we ever had if it hadn't been for that one unfortunate incident that I don’t want to talk about in case there are children watching.

George W. Bush is the second son of a president to be elected president himself. John Adams was our second president and his son, John Quincy Adams, was our sixth. You wonder what the fathers thought about the jobs their kids were doing as president.

My son is a good television reporter but I wouldn't want him as my president.

[memerider]

Interesting. My dad despised FDR while my SO's dad reports he was saved from homelessless by the man.

Clinton was pragmatic, but he did weaken the military--even while Islamic attacks on the U.S. and it's "interests" were escalating. He had the potential to be one of the greatest presidents if he had just kept his pants zipped. He championed Ghandi, whose country is now overrun by Islamists--the evolved British consciousness made them responsive to Ghandi.

Johnson was a foul-mouthed pig and hard-driving politician who flew in the face of 1960s sensibilities.

Ford had the potential to be a great president, but he was guilty by assocation.

Bush I wanted more jails and prisons and laws so we could confine a lot more people. He acted honorably in war rather than pragmatically. Bush II shares dad's "solutions" to social problems. I think Saddam could have been useful to routing out Al-Qaeda and keeping Iran at bay--but he put out a hit on daddy Bush--who really knows the details?

Kennedy certainly had the vision-thing we like in our leaders, and he owned up to mistakes. He didn't keep his pants zipped, either, but Linda Tripp and Montgomery Co. MD politicians weren't a factor.

Nixon was paranoid.

Commentary is an abstraction based on one's bias I think!

[terkoy]

Yes, Andy actually lived as an adult through so many presidencies: therefore his opinions are attributable to senility! Just like Larry King telling Jimmy he was the best president ever! The Shah went, the Ayatollah came in, Jimmy caved and the Iranians trumpeted, "Death to America". Read the Ayatollah's son's book. America's weakness became apparent,leading to today's troubles... Andy...Jimmy.

[actornaught]

Why the personal attacks on someone expressing an opinion in an opinion column?

I just don't understand this 'fashionable' not-really-conservatism (aka neocon) that has the anti-rights stink of Joe McCarthy. I can only hope our country can outgrow it soon.

Freedom of Speech, folks.

By the way, if you get you're definition of Liberal from the neocon press, consider the source, and how you're being manipulated, as in McCarthyism.

[hypnotoad72]

Wow. Quite a political battle.

All I will say is that 'the truth is in the middle', though Andy - unlike many of us - has lived through the times when many of those presidents were elected or put into office. Therefore his say probably has more meaning than most. History is best told by those who lived it. And how many Iraq war supporters here have enlisted yet?

[proportion]

Corrected copy

Rooney....may I call you Mr. Rooney?

It's a tough business. The feedback is so inadequate. The worst spout distracting fallacies and the best are busy elsewhere.
The true answers may be beyond the stars. Surely those answers must be more comprehensive and systematic than the format of political commentary and our knowledge of the target audience will prompt us to elucidate.

[proportion]

Rooney....may I call you Rooney?

It's a tough business. The feedback is so inadequate. The worst spout distracting fallacies and the best are busy elsewhere.
The true answers may be beyond the stars. Surely those answers must be more comprehensive and systematic than the format of political format and our knowledge of the target audience will prompt us to elucidate.

[cwebstuff]

Andy needs to just come out of the liberal closet once and for all and join Rosie O'Donnell on the, "I am a liberal and love it" sofa. Clinton %u2013 the best president ever? I have been in the military for 25 years and there has not been a more hated president in the military in my lifetime %u2013 or the lifetime of veterans I know. Clinton destroyed the military and paved the way for 9-11. We know now that he was too busy with some 100-plus hours of *** talk with Monica on private White House lines to really know what was going on reference defense and national security (Star Report, 1998). He spent 2 years trying to save his own a$$ %u2013 not protect us. He also did more for racial and gender separation than any president in half a century. Did you forget about how many times a week we'd see both the National Organization for Women and the Rainbow Collation on TV telling us how bad we all were? Thank God both organizations have been minimalized over the last 6 years. Clinton's nonsense went on for 8 long tired years and he did more to hurt the country's morale and psyche than anyone in our history %u2013 including Nixon. Clinton was a horrible, indecent, self centered man. Andy, you are much more entertaining as the 60-Minute's old *** that talk's about broken watches and coffee can size. Please leave politics to Fox News.

[terkoy]

Let's circulate a petition to have Andy and Jimmy committed to the Old Liberals Home where they can wax nostalgic to each other on the best ways to wreck the good old USA.

[actornaught]

beta! this is the OPINION section. that's all Rooney does! this section gives alot of space to right-wing ideas, too. are you trying to squelch free speech and the exchange of ideas?

as far as Clinton not going after Osama, the neocons stopped him! he was criticized for trying to take Osama out with a cruise missile, and roundly harassed because the republicans wanted to distract us with an all-Monica agenda!!

Monica had more president in her than George Bush ever will...

[betabaker]

Rooney has proven, once again, how biased and left-leaning is the national press. Ultimately, in spite of Rooney's looney tunes, history will record who won the cold war, who fiddled for 8 years while Osama plotted America's burning, and who betrayed Cuban and Vietnamese freedom fighters.
Senility is Andy's lone defense. I say, change the program to "55 Minutes" and let's watch honest commercials for the last 5.

Mr. Rooney, I believe you are delusional. So Clinton would have been one of our greatest presidents had it not been for Monica? Carter was loved by everyone? - not! And acceptable was the best you could say about any Republican?

You certainly have the right to your opinion, and I have the right to mine regarding news commentators - and it isn't acceptable

[marcodele]

Clinton left Bush a giant budget surplus, not a deficit. And Bush did what Bush has done all his life: spend that inheritance as fast as possible.

Ronald Reagan tried to prove that deficits don't matter which led to the downfall of Bush Sr. who had to raise taxes just to pay off Reagan's mess.
Here we go again with another big spending deficit digging Republican who squanders the tax payers dollars and lets the next guy pay the bill.

The idiot neocons can't face reality, so they just regurgitate whatever they're fed by Fox News and Rush Limbaugh.

[actornaught]

grumpas is right, RR spent his first 2 years sticking the middle class, then was forced to abdicate to Nancy.

Carter is responsible for whatever strength our economy has. It was under his watch that we implimented the strategy to change the interest rate to manipulate the economy. It's his career that christians should be lauding.

'jailed if we resurrect the laws of sedition' is one of the dumbest thing i've heard here. sounds like typical anti-rights neocon bizarro-logic. if your gramma had wheels, she'd be a wagon...

[grumpas]

Ronald Reagan was one of the worst tedebear1616! He was one step under George W Bush! Between ranting on that he would not make any deal's with terrorist's, then dealing with them in the Iran-Contra Affair! Selling his party to the far fascist Christian Right for a few lousy votes! Doing untold damage to the working people in this country! Letting big business run amok! The man should have been impreached! It was with him I stopped voting Republican! I finally began to see the bunch for what they were! I haven't regretted it a second since then! Not only was he a lousy actor he was a lousy President!

[mgpm-2009]

I think your column is spot on, Andy. And by these responses...the truth, even if couched in a little humor...(especially so...) hurts.

[terkoy]

Jimmy Carter is the worst, most dangerous, most inept president who could be jailed if we resurrect the laws of sedition...or tied to Hugo Chavez and floated out to sea. Even in a rocker on a porch in Plains would reduce the damage.
Next Andy will be praising the book by the left-wing wacko empty suit Obama who talks more and says less...perfect for Hillary's vp.

[bluestardad]

A good President is one who executes the will of the people and defends the constitution!

Rooney can kiss my a$$.

He wastes not opportunity to denigrate any Republican.

"Many thought Reagan was better in the movies than in the White House"

An astounding number more felt he was one of our best Presidents, you a$$hole.

Clinton one of our best Presidents except for Monica? How about the fact he passed on getting bin Laden, and he led us into the recession that Bush inherited?

Rooney is a jackass and should be put out to pasture.

[wattsmr24]

Rules of Engagement = "no insulting groups or individuals"

Andy frequently breaks CBS%u2019s own rules of engagement. His commentary on Presidents this week is a perfect example. Reading his story after listening to it on 60 Minutes --- How does 60 Minutes continue to allow Andy to insult a group and individuals in that group given the CBS policy on "rules of engagement"? Andy%u2019s commentary concerning %u201Cgolf%u201D, questioning the democratic system, "fell in", %u201Cbetter in the movies than in the White House%u201D, %u201Cundistinguished%u201D and %u201Cwonder what their fathers thought about the jobs their kids were doing as President%u201D are all directed at one political party. Andy appears to question the intellectual capability of anyone that does not support his political position. I can only assume CBS News is not sincere in requiring its own journalists to follow the %u201Crules of engagement%u201D. When will we ever learn to get along? Different opinions lead to better solutions. Let%u2019s try listening rather than casting doubt on a conservative%u2019s intellectual capacity if we disagree.