Can you name a single American president in history without blood on his hands?

[LordMagnusKain]

Originally posted by: alchemize
Cause I can't think of one. Of course, I'm no presidential historical scholar. Are there any that have not had some bloodshed on their hands, whether it be soldiers or innocents?

Follow up question...who has the most?

Only the ones that died in office quickly.

And Abraham Lincoln has the most as a function of % of the population that died.

 

[daveshel]

(confining my answer to the 20th century)

The Most: Nixon. He wins over FDR because WWII was justified compared to Viet Nam, but mostly because of the 4 students kiled at Kent State.

The Least: Carter

 

[irwincur]

Contrary to the popular fuzzy liberal belief here the world is neither fair, or nice. It is impossible to be the leader of any major nation and not experience some issues. To say that one is worse than another would require deeper knowledge of the time, place, and situation. For the most part actions taken by leaders are for the good of their nation - THAT IS THEIR JOB. People need to quit trying to bring old issues into a current frame of mind, it only muddles the history.

The point is, national leadership is supposed to be selfish, you are supposed to fight for your nation, and sometimes actually go to war. If we did have a leader who never did this - I would worry. Perhaps this is why Carter is uauslly panned as being a horrible president, he never went to bat for the nation and sat back as the world collapsed around him. Leadership requires active participation in problem solving.

 

[Perknose]

Warren G. Harding wasn't in office all that long before he died and didn't do much of anything, let alone bloody his hands, although others in his administration did dip their beaks in the public till.

Here's a great quote about Harding:

"William Gibbs McAdoo, called Harding's speeches "an army of pompous phrases moving across the landscape in search of an idea."

 

[piasabird]

There was one president that died shortly after innauguration???

 

[Strk]

Originally posted by: piasabird
There was one president that died shortly after innauguration???

Sure was and we've already mentioned him a few times

 

[alchemize]

Originally posted by: Perknose
Warren G. Harding wasn't in office all that long before he died and didn't do much of anything, let alone bloody his hands, although others in his administration did dip their beaks in the public till.

Here's a great quote about Harding:

"William Gibbs McAdoo, called Harding's speeches "an army of pompous phrases moving across the landscape in search of an idea."

Sounds like this board!

 

[Macro2]

Most would be Johnson (hey hey LBJ, how many boys you ganna kill today?) and least...I'm thinking Gerald Ford. After we pulled out of Nam' we laid low for a while.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Originally posted by: Macro2
Most would be Johnson (hey hey LBJ, how many boys you ganna kill today?) and least...I'm thinking Gerald Ford. After we pulled out of Nam' we laid low for a while.

Ford still was working on getting us out of SE Asia.

I do not think that he sent many tropps into the conflict, more like being treated as credit for a save while men on bases score.

 

[Dari]

Wasn't there a President that was killed the same day he was inaugerated? The blood he had on his hands were his own.EDIT: It was William Henry Harrison. He served only one month after the idot stupidly refused to put on a coat during his inaugeration. To add to the stupidity, he delivered the longest inaugural address in American history, plenty of time to catch a cold that later developed into pneumonia.

 

[Strk]

Originally posted by: Dari
Wasn't there a President that was killed the same day he was inaugerated? The blood he had on his hands were his own.

No, there were only two Presidents who died within the same year of being inaugerated and both had at least a month of being President.

 

[Blastomyces]

Clinton's got something else on his hands!

 

[Vic]

Coolidge fought no wars. Of course, the 1920s was probably the most peaceful decade in all of history. Coolidge was a pretty crappy president though, who did nothing and never led the country in anything. The prosperity of the '20s in America happened in spite of him, not because of him, and he is often considered responsible for the depression that followed.

 

[Riprorin]

Can you name a single American president in history without blood on his hands?

What do you mean by having "blood on his hands". It 's a rather absurd question/statement.

 

[Perknose]

Originally posted by: Vic
Coolidge fought no wars. Of course, the 1920s was probably the most peaceful decade in all of history. Coolidge was a pretty crappy president though, who did nothing and never led the country in anything. The prosperity of the '20s in America happened in spite of him, not because of him, and he is often considered responsible for the depression that followed.

Sorry, Looks like even Silent Cal doesn't get a pass (Harding doesn't also):

Coolidge was President from 1923 - 1929, serving out the term of Harding and being elected once in his own right. He could have run again and been easily elected, but chose not to. All that campaigning (he famously sat on his porch during the campaign and didn't even bother saying much) must have gotten to him.

Anyway, during his terms, we were busy making the Southern Hemisphere safe for, among others, United Fruit:

Haiti 1914-34: Troops, bombing, 19-year occupation after revolts,

Dominican Republic 1916-24: Troops. 8-year Marine occupation.

Cuba 1917-33: Troops. Military occupation, economic protectorate.

Honduras 1924-25 Troops Landed twice during election strife.

Panama 1925: Troops. Marines suppress general strike.