Ranking the Dads-in-Chief

Carter among the best, FDR one of the worst
By Ambreen Ali,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 4, 2008 3:08 PM CST
Ranking the Dads-in-Chief
Sarah Palin photographed in front of a statue of Thomas Jefferson, the nation's worst father-in-chief.   (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Enough with debates on Sarah Palin being a mommy and a vice president. A look at the best and worst fathers-in-chief, as compiled by Madeline Holler for Babble, starting with the worst:

  • Thomas Jefferson only acknowledged (the white) half of the "kajillion kids" he had.
  • FDR might have saved the nation, but the mama's boy fathered five kids who had 19 marriages and 15 divorces! 

  • The elder Bush neglected his son so much that "he took his country to war" for daddy's approval.
And the best:
  • Jimmy Carter enrolled his daughter, now a low-profile activist, in DC public schools.
  • Harry Truman was "oh, so fatherly" for threatening to punch his singing daughter's critic.
  • Cigars aside, Bill Clinton did a heckuva job with Chelsea, a potential "future POTUS."
(More Election 2008 stories.)

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