I'm more in between, say like Nixon/Ford. . . . Nixon was a good president on policy . . . .
For the purposes of this discussion only, I'll very grudgingly allow the 72 amendments to the Clean Water Act and the creation of the EPA to go into his column. Ok, fine, you can put
detente, Salt I, and China there as well. . . .
BUT, even putting Watergate aside for just a moment, to cite just a few examples, the bombing of Cambodia, the politically-motivated slow-walking of American withdrawal from Vietnam, the intervention in Chile, the war on drugs, and propping up psychos like Pinochet and Mobutu, all immediately spring to mind as policy choices that did real and lasting damage to American credibility and the office of the presidency at home and abroad. Sorry, but I can't help but take Hunter S. Thompson's side in this particular debate:
"He was a swine of a man and a jabbering dupe of a president."
On Florida: I seem to be forced by circumstances beyond my total control to briefly visit ever 7 or 8 years or so. I don't mind the climate at all, but I &*%$#@! hate the place.
On book bans, this week the MN legislature passed a bill, which will almost certainly be signed by Governor Walz, that bans book bans in school libraries.
On hot and humid weather: within limits (higher than you might think) one can acclimate to it just like with very cold weather or altitude. I've generally found it to be worth the effort, as it can open up some interesting parts of the world to visit.