WITH HIS ELECTION in November 1992 and inauguration in January 1993, Bill Clinton of Arkansas became the forty-second president of the United States. The new chief executive brought with him into office his own personal talents, skills, beliefs, and ideals. He also put together a group of advisers, secretaries, and other subordinates, all of whom he felt had their own talents and abilities to contribute to the country. Using these attributes, Clinton hoped to deal effectively with the specific problems and challenges the United States faced in the early 1990s. In a similar manner, each of his predecessors assumed this most powerful political office with his own unique set of attributes. Indeed, the individual personalities, skills, problems, and challenges of the earlier presidents were all very different. So it is not surprising that the quality of their performances as national leaders varied enormously.

Measuring presidential performance

In fact, while some...