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Study compares U.S. presidents' character traits
History found to be unkind to the nice
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. presidents who were assertive, ambitious and less than forthcoming have left the most enduring legacies, according to a new study.
The study, which analyzed traits of all 41 presidents, suggests that history is not impressed by traits usually thought to be admirable, such as honesty, sincerity and openness.
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VIDEO |
CNN's Jonathan Aiken reports on a study of the presidential traits that ensure a legacy
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"The qualities that make for a good president are not necessarily positive in all respects," said Steve Rubenzer, a Houston psychiatrist who, with two colleagues, conducted the study as research for a book expected to be published next spring.
His research found that presidents with positive legacies could be domineering, like Theodore Roosevelt, and also introverted, like Woodrow Wilson, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
The compulsion factor
But compulsion, according to the study, tended to be a negative presidential trait.
"As it turns out, people who are really compulsive about where things go and the way they should be, don't do well," Rubenzer said.
Jimmy Carter, who the survey ranks below Abraham Lincoln, had a reputation as a micro-manager.
Rubenzer said Lincoln, by comparison, "kept his legal papers in his hat. He had big boxes of papers in his office from years and years back..."
No predictions
The study did not analyze the traits of Vice President Al Gore or former President George Bush.
And Rubenzer refused to make any election predictions about Bush's son, GOP presidential candidate George W. Bush, based on his father's characteristics.
Correspondent Jonathan Aiken contributed to this report.
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If you need to know who's up in 1999 or 2000 and what seats are open launch this quick guide.
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Saturday, August 5, 2000
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