European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 15, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday november 15, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 13 commentary Theo Lippman  Era too recent to rate objectively five presidents were at the dedication of the Reagan Library last week. They were president Bush and former presidents Reagan Carter Ford and Nixon. This is the first time in history that five presidents have Ever been together for any purpose. In fact Only rarely have there been five presidents alive at the same time. The last time was 1861-1862, when six a Abraham Lincoln James Buchanan Franklin Pierce Millard Fillmore John Tyler and Martin Van Buren a were alive. That a the record. Twice earlier a in 1845 and in 1825-1826 a five presidents were alive at the same time. Reagan welcomed his guests with this remark a the doors of this Library Are open now and All Are Welcome. The judgment of history is left to you the people. 1 have no fears of that. We have done our  some judgments of history Are already coming in and from Reagan a perspective they Are not that great. On the eve of the Library a dedication the los Angeles times poll reported that 28 percent of americans today believe Reagan was an above average president 33 percent said a below average and 39 percent said he was a Viust  eight percent said he was a one of the bests and 15 percent said a one of the  polls like this Are a joke. They Are designed to reach a truly representative Sample of americans. The average american can to name a dozen presidents much less weigh their respective accomplishments. Those numbers done to represent informed judgment. They re just guesses. Strangely enough however those numbers Arentt Way out of line with the Only poll of american historians that is historians at american universities teaching american history on the Reagan presidency. In fact the Public rates Reagan higher than the scholars a if you consider his Grade based on those numbers cited above As a average. Uei a h0ah0w a amp a of fit to amp Reagan Urray the presidential performance study rated the presi ends Down to but not including Reagan in 1988. On the basis of questionnaires filled out by 846 historians a Penn state team concluded that Lincoln Franklin Roosevelt and George Washington were the Best and Warren Harding . Grant and Richard Nixon were the worst. This year a report on a resurvey of 461 of those professors rated Reagan at 28th. That s out of 37. Both numerically and in the nomenclature of the Penn state study that is a below  poor Reagan is lumped with Tyler Fillmore Pierce Zachary Taylor and Calvin Coolidge a three whigs a Republican and a conservative Democrat. This con firms what Many people have always known about history profs. They re Liberal democrats. That bad Reagan was not and if the deficits he built up done to negate the positive things he did hell probably eventually rate quite High in objective eyes. For the record the Penn state Survey ranked Ford 24th, Carter 25th, and Nixon 34th. C to Baltimore Sun Tom Broka America could use a kindly Welcome sign returning to new York from Moscow shortly after the August coup attempt i was on a flight with almost 100 soviet in girds. They were in High spirits when the plane touched Down. They broke into sustained applause As the flight attendant announced a Welcome to new York s Juk Airport a adding with emphasis a in the United states of  it was a moving and memorable moment. As i left the plane and several times since in be tried to put myself in the minds Eye of these newcomers As they begin life in what has always been for them the promised land. They arrived Here knowing americans Long history As a constitutional democracy and As a land of economic cultural and political Opportunity. It is a richly deserved reputation but from a distance it could also take on mythic proportions that could be shaken by first impressions. Consider the Likely experiences of soviet in girls As they enter new York. First they Are herded through Juk an that More closely resembles a third world country than America s Airport Gateway. Beleaguered and suspicious customs officers a worn Down by a daily Battle against a constant tide of smuggled cocaine heroin and other contraband a Are not Likely to Stop smile extend their hands and say a Welcome to my country. 1 Hope you will be very Happy  leaving Juk  drive through a Maze of construction zones onto pot holed streets littered with Auto carcasses and framed by Graffiti scarred Bridges in perilous condition. Continuing into any Borough they la pass Public housing projects filled with children whose Only Parent is a single Mother or grandmother in a neighbourhood where the realization of the american dream is the rare exception almost never the Rule. Eager to know about their adopted Home these newcomers will turn to television news programs and local newspapers where  read of the bitter Battles Between jews and Blacks in Crown Heights the congressional Check bouncing and delinquent restaurant Bills Anita he and Clarence Thomas the Killeen Texas massacre the Bocci scandal Liz Taylor a wedding and record losses for americans automobile business. Hoping to find some Relief from this initial assault they visit the land of upward mobility a the suburbs. They re introduced to an upper Middle class family and find the father out of work after 25 years with the same company a working Mother who is compensated at three fourths the rate of her male colleagues a daughter Back in her own room after four years of College at a Cost of 145,000 because she can find a Job two cars in the driveway both japanese depleted savings account and a for Sale sign that s been in the front Yard for 18 months now. Checking out the local Public schools they find that a harried principal in a moment of Candor warns that one in four american children will drop out by the eighth Grade a and barely meet minimum literacy standards if they Complete 12 years. Our do gird family will arrive knowing american Medicine is the Best in the world but they May then wonder Why a trip to any Hospital emergency room is first a test of a did a a creditworthiness before it is a demonstration of health care. And if this is the promised land Why arc so Many of the other emergency room patients near death from shootings form of random mayhem drug overdose shootings or some other is this a distorted snapshot of America too narrowly focused sure. After All it does not include the Happy productive families who make up the majority of the population the abundantly stocked supermarkets and department stores the Many Success stories of other Dpi gods who arrived not so Long ago. The great strengths and possibilities of life in America Are not so readily apparent As the self imposed flaws disruptions brought on by a persistent recession and a general level of anxiety As this society tries to adjust to a new International political and economic climate. Moving to a new county and an alien culture must be a daunting experience under any circumstances. But those coming now enter an America of muted sex stations and tempered Confidence the Esert storm Victory notwithstanding. Maybe a sign should be posted at All Gateway airports Welcome to America. Its a great country. And we need your help. Brocaw la a ichor of Toio vision a Abc by fifty nows c Tho Washington Post