Reagan's Influence on US Court System Lingers

George W. Bush, meanwhile, finishes not quite last

(NEWSER) - Two years in, Barack Obama looks like a pretty good president to the nation’s top presidential scholars. The 44th president came in 15th on the all-time list, two spots behind Bill Clinton and three ahead of Ronald Reagan, in a Siena College Research Institute Poll, the New York Daily News reports. Obama got high marks for his intelligence, imagination and communication skills, but lost points for his experience and—what's this? "Family background"? More»

Enough already with Harvard and Yale: blogger

(NEWSER) - The Supreme Court and White House may as well be decorated in ivy, complains David Bernstein. "Once Elena Kagan gets confirmed, every Supreme Court Justice will have attended Harvard or Yale law schools," he writes. And Kagan—whose bachelor's degree, for the record, is from Princeton—was nominated by a Harvard-educated president who beat Yale and Harvard opponents to succeed a Yalie who himself succeeded ... oh, you get the picture. More»

Popularity is fleeting in today's climate; he's got tons of time

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama’s approval rating is dropping, but that’s “dog bites man” stuff, writes Paul Maslin of Salon. Every president sees his approval rating drop. Obama’s drop has been markedly precipitous—from 69% to 54%—but here’s why he needn’t worry:

• Since the dawn of mass media, approval ratings have steadily declined, from an average 71% for Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson to 56% for Clinton and the two Bushes. “The numbers of old are simply unattainable.”

(NEWSER) - George W. Bush’s historical reputation seems to be sinking by the day, but John Roberts, his slick, smiling appointee as the Supreme Court’s chief justice, remains as an “enduring and faithful reflection of the Bush presidency,” writes Jeffrey Toobin in the New Yorker. Though Roberts promised a charmed Congress he’d practice with “modesty and humility,” he’s been a doctrinaire conservative more combative even than Antonin Scalia. More»

Stress causes grays and wrinkles, but nobody agrees whether presidents die early

(NEWSER) - Four to eight years as leader of the free world gave George W. plenty of wrinkles and gray hairs—but just what are the presidency’s long-term aging effects? One doctor found that presidents generally have shorter-than-average lifespans, the Boston Globe reports, while another pegs two years for every one spent in the Oval Office. "For eight years in office, they age 16 years,” he argues. More»