Remembering presidents on a do-nothing holiday

Monday was Presidents Day, more or less one of the do-nothing holidays. Save for the handful of American flags flying around town and the various students and federal employees with the day off, the holiday nearly went by without notice.

It used to be that we had Washington's birthday, and Lincoln's birthday. But in the name of efficiency, I guess, they've been rolled all into one day, which apparently now honors all 44 of our presidents. I guess one do-nothing holiday is better than two.

The History Channel, at least, marked the occasion by rerunning its series of specials spotlighting the presidents through American history. It's a good bit of TV viewing, if you managed to catch it. For every Washington, Lincoln and Roosevelt who we know all about, there's a Garfield, Arthur and Buchanan who remains pretty much a mystery.

I've always been a fan of Thomas Jefferson, myself, though his greatest accomplishments probably don't include his terms as president. Even the epitaph on his tombstone omits the presidency from his life's accomplishments, instead mentioning only his authorship of the Declaration of Independence, his founding of the University of Virginia, and his responsibility for Virginia's Statute of Religious Freedom.

James K. Polk falls into that category of presidents that are no more than answers to trivia questions, but he seems like another guy I would have liked. Polk defined four specific goals for his administration, and pledged to accomplish each one within four years. And he did just that. And he even declined to seek a second term. It seems odd today to think of a president actually fulfilling a complete agenda, and then so readily giving up the reins of power.

Everyone knows the names of James Madison and James Monroe, but little is really known about their presidencies. When I read about them, I find that I am drawn to both. This pair served over what had been called the "Era of Good Feelings," as it was a time in the political history of the United States in which partisan bitterness abated. That idea is pretty appealing nowadays.

Two of the most highly overrated presidents have been in the few decades — John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. I'll no doubt get hate-mail for saying so, but both of these men are more about mystique and charm than actual presidential accomplishments. This isn't to say that one or the other, or both, weren't decent, or even "good" presidents. The blunder is when Kennedy and/or Reagan are ranked among the top five or so presidents in American history. Neither has earned that distinction.

There's only been eight presidents in my lifetime, and I don't see a "great" one in the bunch. There's been a couple that clearly had their moments, like Reagan and Clinton, and even George H.W. Bush. Others, like Nixon and George W. Bush, will have long battles with the history books when it comes to their legacies.

I'm hopeful for Barack Obama. He is probably to his generation what Kennedy or FDR were to their generations. He's as much a symbol as he is a president. And with that, of course, comes monumental expectations. Only time will tell whether Obama becomes a great president; or if he never amounts to anything more than a generational icon.

I wonder how may of those local students who were home from school Monday watched any of the History Channel's presentation, or did any other presidential-related learning with their extra time. I'm guessing not too many. It's a pity that our communities have deemed this a holiday, then virtually ignore it.

It kind of makes you wonder: If we're going to have do-nothing holidays, why have the holiday at all?