Recarving Rushmore: Books: The Independent Institute

Recarving Rushmore
Ranking the Presidents on Peace, Prosperity, and Liberty
By Ivan Eland

Highlights | Synopsis | About the Author

Highlights

* U.S. presidents who are regarded highly by historians, journalists, law professors, and the public often fare poorly when we consider the ill effects of their policies or their unfaithfulness to the Constitution. A new ranking of the presidents—one that focuses on how effectively they advanced peace, prosperity, and liberty within the limits of their constitutional powers—virtually turns upside down those rankings that praise a president because he was a charismatic leader, a good manager, or served during a time of national crisis. Figuratively speaking, Ivan Eland’s Peace, Prosperity and Liberty (PP&L) rankings show that recarving Mount Rushmore is long overdue.