When was the last time a president did something truly great/epoch-making? [View all]

[DerekG]

Reading the excellent Nixonland the other day, I was struck by the profundity behind Nixon's negotiations with Red China and the Soviet Union. Odious rotter that he was, I couldn't help but feel a begrudging admiration for him. He actually did something worthwhile: thawing the Cold War and making us all relatively safer. (Sadly, his successors would jeopardize this triumph.)

More stupefying was the thought that I can't recall a single instance in my young life (I'm 32) when I felt a president did something Truly Great. No inspired piece of legislation. No foreign policy miracle. Nada. Any takers?


On edit: When I say "truly great", I also mean "something good". Apologies for the confusion.