Commander Keen

Yesterday was President's Day, a national holiday meant to honor our nation's leaders past and present, yet mostly an excuse to sell discounted furniture. I've discussed presidential rankings in the past, and though my list of the ten greatest presidents will mostly match anyone else's, I also wonder who has become overrated and underappreciated in the sands of time. As a treat for you historical buffs, and with a slight nod to PBS' recent Bill Clinton documentary, I present my argument for our most overhyped --and underhyped-- commanders in chief:

Most Overrated President: Ronald Reagan. In choosing Ol' Dutch, I am by no means implying that our 40th president was terrible. Yes, he had his imperfections, but the level by which modern conservatives emulate him is bewildering. Inflation sank and Reagan was blessed with steady job growth, but only in his last five years in office. He raised the national debt, carried massive deficits, and is often given too much credit for the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe.

Second Most Overrated: Harry S. Truman. The man who dropped the hydrogen bomb on Japan got off to a promising start after FDR's sudden passing, yet he won the 1948 election by the skin of the teeth. Truman's handling of union disputes in the wake of various post-war shortages was --and still is-- considered quite ineffectual. It takes a lot for labor voters to swing Republican, which is exactly what Truman did. His bungling of the Korean "Police Action," combined with scandal within the administration, is cited by many as to why he was crushed in the 1952 New Hampshire primary. The strength of Truman's legacy lied in his foreign policy (the Berlin airlift, Israel, NSC-68), but domestic affairs just weren't his strong suit.

Most Underrated President: William McKinley. Count me amongst Willie Mac's apologists, a small yet devoted legion. Most historians will argue that McKinley was the dilligent buffer between the economically shaky Gilded Age, personified by the 12-year rotation of Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison, and the progressive era ushered by the irrepressible Teddy Roosevelt. TR scholars "thank" McKinley for dying in office, for otherwise the cowboy would've likely never been POTUS in his own right. Regardless, McKinley's accomplishments have been vastly underappreciated; in his 4 1/2 years in office America became a world colonial power, Hawai'i was annexed, and the Open Door policy was established. Now, if he can be forgiven for establishing the gold standard...

Second Most Underrated: James Knox Polk. Easily our nation's finest one-term president, the least-known consequential POTUS re-established the independent treasury system, reduced tariffs, acquired Oregon Country (peacefully), and annexed California and what is now New Mexico (via war). Four specific campaign promises, four crucial accomplishments for the young nation. One must wonder what he would've accomplished had he wanted to run a second term... or lived long enough to do, as he died three months after leaving office.

Finally, to cleanse the palate, please enjoy this list of Jeremy Lin puns that have not yet been used in the media:

• Artificial Lin-semination
• Lin-reconcilable differences
• Lin-dustrial engineering
• Lin-cohesive meaning
• Lin-decent liberty with a minor
• Lin-capable of feeling
• Lin-sufficient data
• Financially Lin-secure

Next week: the year in music, 1992.

Dutch Rub

I'm a little bit of a history buff, with a specific focus on U.S. Presidents. In my mind, my all-time top five is set in stone: Lincoln, Jefferson, Washington, FDR, and Teddy Roosevelt. The commanders-in-chief that round out my top ten tend to vary: James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, and Woodrow Wilson have clinched a spot without question, but I've always believed that William McKinley and James K. Polk are far too underappreciated and that JFK would've been a lock had he finished his first term. So where does Ronald Reagan fit?

Last week marked what would've been Dutch's 100th birthday, and the milestone has not been lost on fawning conservative commentators or the "left-leaning" mainstream media. Life magazine --they still exist, kinda-- published a photo album chronicling Reagan's life and times, and Time magazine raised eyebrows last week with a cover story comparing our 40th president to our 44th. (The contrast between the two men is surprisingly minimal, though the irony was lost on some people.) Where the modern conservative movement treats Reagan like an immortal, there's so much about the man that feels skewed or exaggerated on both ends of the political spectrum. This blog, while somewhat biased, is a solid place to start.

As the blog alludes to, there are two things about Reagan's legacy that I believe are horrifically overlooked: his role in the demise of the Soviet Union and his natural sense of pragmatism. Let's begin with Ronnie's utilitarian side. Reagan was first and foremost a champion of American values, as would be any elected official in this country, but I doubt he ever declared himself a true conservative. With inflation spiraling out of control in his first six months in office, Reagan enacted a sweeping national tax cut; when that backfired in the form of record unemployment, Reagan retreated and raised taxes again... and again... and again. Eleven times between 1981 and 1989 to be exact, usually hitting the poor and lower middle class the hardest. In the long run, the government fell further into debt, and even though inflation faded the national deficit spiraled out of control. Had the Tea Party existed three decades ago, they would've vilified Dutch the same way they tar and feather Obama now (or did, before his recent shift to the middle).

Secondly, there's detente. Reagan was a man of words before action, and had very little use for nuclear weaponry. The famed "Star Wars" defense system was just that, not a specific thumb at a nose to the USSR but a means of protecting America via the space race. Unlike today's more hawkish and xenophobic conservative brand, Reagan wanted to communicate and negotiate with enemy states, and his famed friendship with Mikhail Gorbachev never would've happened if they haven't found a common need for peace and effective arms control. Russia's transition from communism to a pseudo-democracy in the early '90s might've been far bloodier had the US not intervened and become a crucial trade ally.

What I'm saying here can be disputed; after all, I'm comparing the state of American politics circa 25-30 years ago to now, and hypothetical distance feels even longer. Regardless, it feels like conservative activists have dumbed down the Reagan legacy, adding their own embellishments to suit their views, or ignored crucial elements altogether. He was not anti-taxation, he was not a champion of small government, nor was he playing to a strict partisan agenda. Seven years after his passing, Dutch has become an unlikely false idol, and in reality he would've eaten blowhards like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh for lunch. Reagan's apathy towards liberal '80s issues like abortion and apartheid didn't necessarily make him a conservative, but a leader whose drive and determination was focused elsewhere. After a rocky first two years in office, Reagan finally found that right formula of job growth and prosperity, but only after a tremendous amount of trial and error.

In conclusion, Ronald Reagan was a successful president for never compromising or catering to anyone's whims, making only minor adjustments to his general platform. He set the template for the "cowboy president" George W. Bush wanted to be but never was, and the maverick that John McCain built his reputation upon but later rebuked for party puppetry. This is why so many Baby Boomer Democrats brag that he was the only Republican they ever voted for. Simply put, Ronald Reagan was an imperfect president, but he made things work.