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Giordano: The President's Day

By Dom Giordano

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - With Presidents' Day upon us, it's always fun to rank the presidents. I love doing my annual Mt. Rushmore of Presidents and I also like to give my most underrated presidents.

My Mt. Rushmore in order consists of Washington, Lincoln, Reagan, Franklin Roosevelt. I think Washington is the clear leader because he by his character and leadership kept a   new country through crises that could have stopped. Lincoln had the same role in preserving the Union and his push for the Thirteenth Amendment was a game changer for African Americans and the country.

Reagan makes the cut because he not only put a dent in the ongoing surge of a bigger and bigger federal government. He also believed he could bring down the Soviet Empire and he accomplished it. Even though I differ with FDR's policies but he was masterful in defeating the Nazis in World War II   and in giving Americans hope during the Great Depression.

My Mount Rushmore   might be the choices of many but my underrated list is unusual. Harry Truman has always been underrated but because of David McCullough and some others he is rapidly moving up in presidential polls. I love how blunt Truman was in approaching huge problems post World War II .  Maybe because of  an HBO series on him and own reading John Adams was a very underrated figure who was instrumental in winning the Revolutionary War.

I think Lyndon Johnson is underrated in assessing the amount of damage he caused. I feel his legacy is the worst of any president. It's too soon to see if President Obama will have a worse legacy.

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