Last night, Obama told Oprah that the first year of his Presidency deserves “A good solid B+”

Obama cited his “restoration” of America’s global image as a big positive, along with his handling of Iraq, Afghanistan, and the economy.   He admitted that slow job growth was an ongoing challenge.

I guess 10% unemployment might be enough to keep him from getting an A.  However, Obama doesn’t think that’s the real problem.  Oh-so-shockingly, Obama blamed the Bush administration for his inability to achieve top marks, saying he ”inherited the biggest set of challenges of any president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt.”  

Mathematically, a B+ equals 86%, so that means he feels he’s done a better job that 85% of previous U.S. Presidents.  Impressive.  Out of 44 presidents, Obama thinks he is superior to 37 of them.

My Picks for the 7 presidents Obama thinks did a better job right of the bat:

1. Jimmy Carter
2. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
3. Herbert Hoover
4. Abraham Lincoln (who he’s a lot like, in case you haven’t heard)
5. Barack Obama in an alternate dimension where he’s managed to hand over control of internal U.S. policy to the U.N.
6. John F. Kennedy
7. Fidel Castro

I’d love to hear your picks.  Who do you think Obama feels was a better first-year President?

- Robert Laurie