# Greater President?  Roosevelt or Wilson?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greater-president-roosevelt-or-wilson/17801>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [March 18, 2000, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greater-president-roosevelt-or-wilson/17801 "2000-03-18T05:18:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Peter\_North](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Peter\_North](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_North)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2000, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greater-president-roosevelt-or-wilson/17801/41 "2000-03-23T17:05:00Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> As for the Lincoln administration’s suspension of habeas corpus: The U.S. Constitution clearly gives the government the power to suspend these rights in time of war or insurrection.

Yeah Congress, not the President.

> [@](#):
>
> Faced with seccession, how many of our presidents (or their “better” opponents) would have refrained from calling for a state of emergency?

Which is more important state sovereignty or keeping the Union? You think Lincoln’s actions were good, while I think his actions were bad.

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**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2000, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greater-president-roosevelt-or-wilson/17801/42 "2000-03-24T01:46:00Z")

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Lincoln was obviously a better president than Wilson, because Lincoln got a luxury car named after himself. Would you even consider driving something called a “Wilson Continental”?

(Plus, he had those great toy logs. How many other presidents can say that?)

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