Who would you select as president...

[Stoner]

If you could pick any past president before 1900 (basically George Washington through William McKinley) to lead the country who would it be?

I'll have to go with either George Washington or James Madison (the smartest President we've ever had). And I don't want to hear any crap about Madison letting the White House get torched http://planetsmilies.net/person-smiley-1117.gif (http://planetsmilies.net)

Who would you pick?

[Nemo]

Washington was a better president than a military leader. As a military commander, his early experience in the failed expedition to relieve Fort Duquesne during the French and Indian War did not show much promise; and during the Revolutionary War, his only victory (not counting the surprise attack on the Hessian mercenaries at Trenton that had no real significance other than to boost the morale of his troops) was at Yorktown, which was won for him by the French. He did have persistence in the face of all his failures; which, historically, speaks well for him.

Washington's rise to prominence was probably more attributable to marrying into the Custis family, which provided him with the wealth to advance his career. Ironically, Robert E. Lee married into the same family, which also did not hurt his military career; but his success was more due to his great skill as a commander in the Civil War. Washington won, Lee lost. Washington became the President of the United States; Lee became the president of Washington College. Such are the varied fortunes of war.