ABSTRACT
An effective president as a national leader who makes the most of his or her political opportunities. American political legend celebrates presidential "greatness" as the key to progress in American history. The desire for presidential greatness in the twentieth century was strong during two world wars and a severe depression. This desire was sustained by the progressive interpretation of American history in which presidents are the heroes of reform and spokesmen for the nation against a parochial Congress. Franklin Roosevelt was the implicit model against which his successors were compared. The three truly great presidents, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt served in times of national crisis. The two transition presidencies of Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter gave way to the decisive leadership of Ronald Reagan, the moderate leadership of George H. W. Bush, the bargaining presidency of Bill Clinton, the assertions of power by George W. Bush, and the search for balance with Barack Obama.
