A repost of one I made on another site:
In over two centuries of American history as an independent nation, there have been a handful of presidents that are generally regarded as being truly exceptional: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt. Washington's greatest achievement, in my opinion, is the simple fact that he gave up power in an orderly fashion, establishing a tradition of (mostly) peaceful transitions of power, the big exception being the results of the 1860 election. This is HUGE in my opinion, just look at what has historically happened elsewhere, with "presidents for life" a frequent outcome in emerging democracies. Then there is his pre-presidential career to take into account. Lincoln's achievement needs no repeating, and F. Roosevelt is in the same group. All of these figures are very likely to still remain vivid in popular memory many centuries from now.
What do these presidents have in common? They were all extremely capable and inspiring figures, facing immense challenges, with the nation's future in doubt (in Washington's case, the challenge occurred before his presidency). We all know what difficulties lie ahead for the USA, from the terrifying global economic meltdown, to the grinding wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to the looming problems with the environment and dwindling natural resources.
I think that President-elect Obama is indeed the man to step up and lead the way -- in my 35+ years of observing American politics, I have never seen a figure at the presidential level with his intelligence, drive, charisma, intellectual curiosity and character. (Bill Clinton came close, but fell short on character*.)
One thing I noticed: the interval between the first inaugurations of these figures was about three-quarters of a century: the interval between the first presidential inaugurations of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln was 72 years, between those of Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt was 72 years -- and between those of Roosevelt and Barack Obama will be 76 years. Coincidence, no doubt, but suggestive none the less.
When I think about it, these presidents define three (and now possibly four) great eras in American history: Washington ushered in the new republic, which lasted (for the most part) in its original shape until the problem of slavery came to a head. Lincoln took the nation through the American Civil War, and established its new post-war political landscape, which lasted until the Great Depression. Franklin Roosevelt led the nation out of this, and through the greatest war in modern history, in the process shaping the political discourse we all know. Even the Republicans accept almost all of what Roosevelt established. Given what the USA now faces, it is quite possible that Barack Obama will also end up recasting the American political landscape, in the same way that his great, transformative, predecessors did.
*note -- Bill Clinton was actually fairly good on character (just compare him to G.W. Bush) but as a Democratic president with a Republican congress, he needed to be cleaner than clean -- those Republicans were digging and digging for ANYTHING they could throw at him.
