POTUSI

 There have been a lot of presidents. And even if you choose to focus on those who were fortunate enough to swim through all the electoral nonsense found here in the United States, that would bring you to the grand total of forty-six. So far, all of them have been men. So far, only one of them has been a person of color. In many ways these Presidents of the United States, or POTUSI if you prefer the ancient Greek, are more the same than they are different. 

Nevertheless, I feel that on this day which one of these chaps decided to name a holiday for themselves, I figure it's important to take a look back at the nearly four dozen men and the job they managed to do. Many of them only managed four years. Some of them less. 

Let's start by giving props to the reason Lyndon Johnson gave us all this third Monday in February the day off. Yes, this idea of lumping all our Chief Executives into one glorious praise-fest is a fairly new one, having sprung from the dual celebrations of the Father of our Country, George Washington and "Honest Abe" Lincoln. These somewhat objectively great men happened to be born within days of one another, some seventy years apart. In a move that would make the DOGE crowd proud, it was decided that rather than giving the workers of this great nation two days off in what was already a ridiculously short month, the Toyota Sale-A-Thon would be better served by splitting the difference and making it just the one day. And while we're at it, why not include all those other guys who sat in the Oval Office, even for a minute or two. 

Like William Henry Harrison, who only managed to hang on for thirty-one days. Due to complications from pneumonia that he most likely contracted after insisting on riding on horseback to his inauguration without an overcoat or a hat. Points for image, but perhaps a lack of common sense. 

How about Warren G. Harding? When President Harding died after his term was over, he was roundly mourned and missed. Then came the revelations of scandals that surrounded his presidency, kept quiet primarily because of the lack of social media. Warren still gets his day.

How about Andrew Johnson? The guy who put the peach in impeachment? He had the great misfortune of stepping into the White House right after Lincoln died, and a lot of folks suggest he should be placed at the bottom of that big pile of presidents. 

And the list goes on. Most of this stuff is subjective, not unlike the arguments that used to be made for the National Champions of college football before the new and improved playoff system was invented to take that down a notch. 

I kid. I'm a kidder.

But today is the day we take a day off mail delivery and go buy a mattress because it's President's Day. Even the convicted felons and adjudicated rapists. 

Of which there has been only one.