Perhaps the decline started with John F. Kennedy. Though he is known for his resolute decisions, both good and bad (see the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Bay of Pigs) and great inspiration (the Civil Rights Movement and the Space Race), his presidency also ushered in the era of unprecedented celebrity and image over substance. Maybe it was just the 60's vibe. Or his supposed dalliance with Marilyn Monroe (and others). Or the fact that he never got the chance to finish what he started.
Next came Lyndon Johnson. He soldiered through the Civil Rights amendments of the JFK administration, but also mired the country on the Vietnam war. Was he simply a victim of the irresistible military-industrial complex?
Richard Nixon ended the war by declaring victory as the American army fled, and brokered diplomatic contact with Mao Tse Tung and China. Then he resigned amidst the disgrace of the Watergate scandal.
Gerald Ford seems to be best remembered for his pardon of Nixon (a distasteful act that apparently enabled the country to move on) and the ongoing Chevy Chase parodies of his clumsiness.
Jimmy Carter began a trend of Washington outsiders, a humble peanut farmer who was eaten up by circumstance (the hostage crisis in Iran), inaction and vicious politics.
Ronald Reagan became the great communicator who vanquished the Soviet Bear, but also cultivated a slightly wonky image of a leader who needed to take a regular nap in order to stay awake during his briefings. Maybe he missed the brief on the Iran-Contra affair. Or the concept of a balanced budget.
George H. Bush rode in on the coattails of Reagan, and seems best known for his unfortunate promise "Read my Lips - No New Taxes" and picking Dan Quayle as vice-president.
Bill Clinton took over with a bushel of promise, but helped sabotage his own plans with less-than-perfect execution. He mired himself in sexual scandals, invited the scorn of the Moral Majority and opened the door for a majority Republican congress. Yet he also reversed the deficit spending of the previous Republican administrations and ended up with a budgetary surplus.
George W. Bush took the reins of power and used a horrific event, the 9-11 destruction of the twin towers, to propagate an ideological agenda divorced from reality. Some impressions from an exit interview of his vice-president Dick Cheney will suffice:
"Saddam Hussein had a pre-existing relationship with Al'Quada" - what they had a Facebook friendship?
"The evidence of WMD in Iraq was there - it's not our fault it was wrong" - He forgets to mention that the evidence was trumped up on his request.
"One has no choice but to fight evil with evil" - These people have such a negative, mean-spirited view of the world, one that reinforces beliefs that policies like rendition and torture could actually work.
"We didn't see it (the collapse of the financial industry) coming - who did?" Enough said. The buck didn't stop there.
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