MEDIA CONTACT: Kristine M. McGrath
561-297-1168, kmcgrath@fau.edu

FAU Professor Assesses Presidential Cabinets

"Rating Presidential Cabinets and Cabinet Secretaries: How Does the Bush Administration Compare?"

BOCA RATON, FL (October 27, 2004) - As the presidential campaign season continues in high gear, many throughout the nation will look to presidential incumbent President George W. Bush and determine how he and his cabinet have performed during his first term in office. Florida Atlantic University Political Science Professor Robert P. Watson, author and editor of many articles, essays and books dealing with the American presidency, has recently co-authored a study that rates President Bush's cabinet in comparison to other presidential cabinets.

"Shortly after President George W. Bush was inaugurated, much was said about the experience of the Bush cabinet. But, as to whether or not that experience has served the president well is questionable," said Dr. Watson. "It will likely be years until we know the full story and both the standing and legacy of the Bush administration. However, according to the scholars of the presidency polled in this study, the Bush cabinet and several Bush cabinet officials rate poorly compared to their peers in other administrations."

In the fall of 2003, more than 60 presidential scholars, selected from a membership list of the Presidency Research Group, completed a survey that provided an assessment of pre-modern and modern presidential cabinets and cabinet officer performance. Notable highlights from the assessment include:

• In regards to pre-modern cabinets, President Washington and Lincoln had the highest rated cabinets, as both administrations had strong members who were working with important policy formulation and leadership. The weakest pre-modern cabinets were the scandal-ridden cabinets of President Harding and Grant.
• In the assessment of modern cabinets, the study revealed that President Roosevelt's administration was the strongest. His cabinet marked a turning point in the power and scope of the institution. In addition, Roosevelt's administration would be given credit for implementing the sweeping changes of the New Deal and in conducting the war effort. The weakest modern cabinet was that of Nixon, primarily due to the fact that his cabinet was essentially excluded from a role in the policy process and decision making.
• For the modern era, the following were listed the best and worse for secretary rankings -
  Secretary of State - Best: George Marshall (1947 - 1949)
  Worst: Alexander Haig (1981 - 1982)
  (Note: Colin Powell absent from lists)
  Secretary of Treasury - Best: Henry Morgenthau (1934 - 1945) AND
  Robert Rubin (1995 - 1999)
  Worst: Paul O'Neill (2001 - 2002)
  Secretary of War/Defense - Best: Henry Stimson (1940 - 1945)
  Worst: Donald Rumsfeld (2001 - Present)
  Attorney General - Best: Robert Kennedy (1961 - 1964)
  Worst: John Mitchell (1969 - 1972)
  

The results of the presidential cabinet rankings will appear in the fall issue of the Presidency Research Group report. Sections of this study appear in George W. Bush: Evaluating the Presidency, published by SUNY Press and edited by Bryan Hilliard, Tom Lansford and Robert P. Watson.

Watson is the author or editor of 25 books on the presidency and American politics, and has published more than 100 scholarly articles and essays on the presidency. A frequent commentator, he has been interviewed by CNN, NBC, MSNBC, FOX, USA Today, the Boston Globe and other national and local media outlets. Watson sits on many boards of journals and presidential foundations, and is the founder and editor of the journal, "White House Studies."

The co-author of this study, Dr. Tom Lansford, is the author or editor of 13 books on the presidency, foreign policy and national security. He sits on the boards of several journals and is a fellow with the Frank Maria Center for International Politics and Ethics.

For more information on the presidential cabinet rankings, contact Dr. Robert P. Watson at 561-297-3210 or rpwatson@fau.edu.

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