Tuesday, June 28, 2005
The greatest American redux
Back in January, I had linked to an online poll conducted by AOL and the Discovery Channel to discover the greatest American of all time. Among the names we discussed in the post and comments were Abe Lincoln, Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and Martin Luther King Jr. The results have just been announced and the greatest American, according to this poll, is Ronald Reagan. I suppose it's not surprising since his death last year helped whitewash his legacy. In second place was Lincoln, third place went to King, and fifth place went to Franklin. In sixth and seventh places, two names show up which raises questions about the credibility of the poll -- George W. Bush and Bill Clinton respectively. I am sure there have been chain mails going around advocating partisan voting. There is just no other way these two could have made it ahead of Roosevelt, Einstein etc.
