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Greatest president, in my humble opinion, was a toss-up between Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan.

Worst president was a toss-up between Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.  :-o  I'll leave my comments at that. :-)

I think that George Washington was the greatest president, being first, he had to invent the job at a time of great turmoil and  confusion on how America should shape the identity of her government and officials.

If Washington had not been a man of tremendous integrity, its hard to say what our government would look like.  Of course, Abraham Lincoln is tied for best, because he saved the union, giving his life for the cause. And then I like Ronald Reagan and John Adams, Thomas Jefferson.

I agree that Jimmy Carter was the worst president in my life time, he still thinks he's president!  Every time I go to the gas station I remember in 75/76 the odd/even days when you had to wait on a huge line to buy gas.  He did nothing for us exccept raise the shame level around the world.  Do you remember the hostage crisis?  I teach a Pop Culture class and we just covered the Hostage Crisis. 

Best:  FDR, Lincoln

Worst: Hoover, G.W. Bush

Short and Sweet!  :-)

Best is George Washington as without his incredible leadership and vision, we may not have such a strong republic or such a good line of presidents. 

Worst is tough, surely Jimmy Carter was the least effective president, although he was able to bring the longest-lasting peace treaty in the Middle East (Egypt-Israel) into being.

In contrast, George W. Bush has been very effective and has "gotten things done", but has made so many mistakes, errors in judgement and been such a poor leader and communicator that I think you'd have to place him right on the bottom of the list. While Carter did not react well to the crises he was faced with, the ultimate damage was negligable. GWB has bungled everything he's touched, and has left the nation weaker then when he arrived in office.  

I concur with the notion that Reagan was probably our greatest commander-in-chief, but I'm thinking a bit more historically when it comes to worst.

A look over the annals of our national past will show that U.S. Grant was probably the poorest president ever to hold office. He was placed there after the civil war ended, but then stayed without doing a single thing administratively. One might say he was our first "lame duck," but he acted that way his full term. Perhaps his presidency is what discouraged Stormin' Norman Schwarzkopff from running...

Although the question seems to ask for a single person (alright, it does :)), I'd have to say the our first four have to make up a "group" of the best.  It's amazing how we were blessed with great leadership when we most needed it.  Of course Washington is probably the greatest of the group, but Adams held it together after this almost adored leader left office, Jefferson gave us a set of ideals  that persist to this day, and Madison had so much to do with the ratification of the Constitution that he needs to be included as well.  (Somehow I have to include Lincoln, but not in this group).

I have another group for the downside:  all Presidents since 1972 (even including Regan for this take, although I know this won't be popular).  They get the prize for failing to attend to our energy needs after the first oil embargo.  Becoming energy independent should have been their highest priority so that today we wouldn't have to fund those people who wish to destroy us.  Depending on the outcome, I think history will judget them very harshly for this.  (I'd like to rank them within the group, but that doesn't seem fair to the idea :)).

Teddy Roosevelt was a great President, because he understood politics. Yes, he was a President before WWII and the atomic bomb, however without the character of Roosevelt no one would have ever noticed the mission of Teddy Roosevelt. He always called "the shots" as he saw them. He was not without controversey, however he understood (which is severely lacking today) the "idea" that the United States, with all its faults, offers more to the world than any other place on the planet. The worst President, well its a toss up between Harding, Grant and Carter. Harding was just a bad judge of character, hiring his freinds to fill Cabinet positions. That led to the 'Teapot Dome" scandal. Grant's administration was filled with scandal, and Carter was too much of a micro-manager to ever see the "bigger" picture. This sometimes clouded his judgement.

I agree with calling James Buchanan the worst American president. He sat by and watched as the union disintegrated, where a more decisive leader could have avoided bloodshed.

As for the best, my vote goes to FDR. He revolutionized this country and changed the way we look at the role of government forever.

There have been surveys conducted over the years that "rank" the American Presidents. Historians nationwide were asked, "What makes a great President great"? Their conclusion was that four features unite these "great" Presidents who differ in political affiliation, personal background, and personality. The features include, historical circumstance, idealism, realism, and strength. Historical circumstance is defined as the individual who held office at a crtical time in American history. Idealism suggests that the individual is able to take the side of reform. That they are inspired by a vision of the American future. Realism is the ability to devote oneself to idealistic goals, however is tempered by the grounded sense of what is "workable". Strength simply put is the leader who is able to make decisive decisions, the kind that take a clear stand for the survival or the security of the nation, no matter the opposition. Over the years this survey has had Presidents that have moved up the scale and those who have moved down, however the top three have remained the same since 1948. Their 1st, 2nd, 3rd, slots have changed but it's always the sme three, Lincoln, Washington, and F.D.R.