Leah O'Donovan

And finally, for your Friday enjoyment, the top ten US Presidents according to the Times of London.

10. Woodrow Wilson 1913-21 (Democratic)
9. James Polk 1845-49 (Democratic)
8. Ronald Reagan 1981-89 (Republican)
7. Harry Truman 1945-53 (Democratic)
6. Dwight Eisenhower 1953-61 (Republican)
5. Theodore Roosevelt 1901-09 (Republican)
4. Thomas Jefferson 1801-09 (Democratic-Republican)
3. Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933-45 (Democratic)
2. George Washington 1789-97 (No party)
1. Abraham Lincoln 1861-65 (Republican, National Union)

I figured Lincoln would be number one and there are no real surprises here. It’s a shame, though, how much I have forgotten of American history and, specifically, presidential history because I do not feel I can pass any kind of decent judgment on the list. I think this time I will leave it to the experts.

I will ask you, however, to name your favourite president. I don’t care if you know his record inside and out or if he’s just your favourite because he is. My favourite used to be Clinton 100%. On the spot, this minute right now though, I have to say Clinton 50% Jefferson 50%. Why, you ask? Because I think Jefferson was wise beyond his years when it came to his ideas on the separation of church and state. I think a lot of Americans who claim our founding fathers founded the US as a Christian nation should look again. Jefferson was a man of the Enlightenment and preferred reason and logic to unquestioning faith. I will always have a special admiration for Clinton though. He came from a tiny little town called Hope, Arkansas, and by his own intelligence, not any family connections, became the most powerful man in America.