The 3 Worst Things a President Ever Did.....

Tuesday is Election Day in our country. A process that goes back hundreds of years will repeat itself. There will be a peaceful transfer of power from one administration to another. Every President can say he won an election. Well, sort of. I think a group of guys asked George Washington if he wanted the job. Also, Gerald Ford was appointed Vice President and then Richard Nixon resigned. So Ford became President without anyone voting for him for President, or Vice President.

But come January a new President will be sworn in to protect and defend the United States of America. So help me God. The thing is, whoever is sworn in will be quite different than previous Presidents. It could be a woman that nobody trusts. Or it could be a non-deep thinking bigot that never held political office. Quite a choice.

Most people, like me, will be holding their noses when they go to vote. Nobody is sure what to expect. Maybe they'll be so great that someday they'll be on the money. Or maybe they'll do something stupid to get impeached.

We have had great Presidents, and stinkers too. Some just made situations worse. James Buchanan made an economic crisis worse in 1857, and fanned the flames for the Civil War. Herbert Hoover didn't cause the Great Depression, but was clueless on getting us out. But in the end, these were all policy decisions. Right or wrong, they were at least an attempt to help the nation.

But what have Presidents done that was just flat wrong? Something that may have hurt our nation. I'm not a Presidential scholar, but I know a little bit about a lot of things. (That's why I'm so good at Jeopardy!) Here is a not-to-deep look at the 3 things that may have been the worst things a U.S. President did while in office.

In reverse order to build suspense:

Now there's some bad vibes.

3. Bill Clinton has sexual affairs in the Oval Office. What an ass. If someone decides to have an affair, feel free. That's your choice. But in addition to the embarrassment he caused his wife and family, he embarrassed the Presidency. Plus he did this in the Oval Office of the White House. Let's show a little respect for your surroundings. He could have at least gone upstairs. In the end, maybe he only hurt himself. He didn't deliberately try to hurt the country. I still think he was a smart guy, a good politician, and a great communicator. But being smart is useless if you do something brainless like that.

Doesn't this look like a mug shot?

2. Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal. Watergate in the 70's was the motherlode of political scandals. It started as a political dirty trick with crooks, funded by the Republicans, breaking into the Democratic headquarters. Nixon may not have known when it happened, but he certainly knew afterward. He tried to cover up any involvement. Not only did he know about it, he had most of his conversations privately taped. When the Senate committee investigating the scandal heard about the tapes, they were subpoenaed by the Senate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. Nixon asked the Attorney General to fire Cox., But he refused. So Nixon fired the Attorney General. But his replacement also refused to fire him. So he was fired too. Finally, Nixon eventually found a guy that would do it. (Interestingly, that guy was later nominated, but not approved, for the Supreme Court.) In the end it was just a bunch of slimy guys. some went to prison. Nixon resigned the Presidency to avoid impeachment. It was a miserable period in American history.

Sometimes Jackson was "right on the money" But not all the time.

1. Andrew Jackson ignores the Supreme Court. Let me be clear on this one. I think Andrew Jackson is an American hero. His actions in the War of 1812 may have won the war. But he was a controversial President. Jackson was in favor of relocation of Native American tribes out west to make way for more settlers. This led to a 1832 Supreme Court case that ruled in favor of the Native tribes. The State of Georgia could not enforce it's laws on Cherokee land. Jackson ignored the high court's decision. He was quoted as saying, "Chief Justice John Marshall has made his decision. Now let him try to enforce it." This led to the "Trail of Tears" forced relocation where more than 4,000 Cherokees died. But to me, the issues here just don't matter. America was designed to have a balance of power between the Executive, the Legislative, and the Judiciary. America is a government of laws. Ignore a significant law and you threaten the government. You can't just follow popular laws. If the people disagree with a law, the people will change it. It would be like Obama refusing to leave the White House because his replacement isn't popular.

60's rocker Jimi Hendrix once had an interesting quote:

"When the Power of Love

Is stronger than the Love of Power

The World will know Peace."

Somebody new will have the power soon. Hope for the best.