President Obama ranks 15th out of 44 in a poll of the best and worst Presidents while former President George W. Bush earns a place in the bottom five, according to the Siena College Research Institute's recent survey released Thursday Obama won a top ten place in two skill set categories, communication ability (7th) and ability to compromise  (10th), and in two personality trait categories, imagination (6th) and intelligence (8th). Background, described as family, education, and experience, proved his lowest score at 32nd. This is the 5th time the institute has conducted the survey of U.S. presidents, which is done a year after a new president takes office. The first survey was done in 1982. "Obviously, there's not great  _ to the poll since the Presidents have only been in office for one year," says the survey's co-director and statistician Douglas Lonnstrom. "But it's a benchmark for us to see how they move." Presidents tend to rank around 20th while they are in office, and Obama is no exception. His actions over the next few years will decide if he stays roughly the same like Reagan--who moved from 16th to 20th, 22nd, 16th again, and finally to 18th this year--or like Bush, who fell from 23rd to 39th. Franklin D. Roosevelt has held his title as top president since 1982 with the same four following as top five: Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson. The survey, which ranks Presidents using 20 different factors, shows Jefferson was the most intelligent president, Richard Nixon was the worst at honesty and avoiding serious mistakes, Lincoln had the best overall ability, and Washington was the best leader. In which category did Obama win his best place?
Imagination. Intelligence. Background. Communication ability.