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An increasingly informed and sophisticated country may be less ready to grant "greatness" than it once was. This throws a certain light on present Presidents, but could also beam back. What would we have thought of Lincoln during his presidency? Could the Civil War have survived the 7 p.m. news? Could General Washington hold his command after a TV special on Valley Forge? What would the New York Times and the Washington Post have said about Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus?
Presidents present and past may come to seem more like the rest of us. Except for one detail: their ability to get nominated and elected. But war and crisis have been the traditional backdrops for greatness in the White House, and we seem to live now, if not in permanent crisis, at least permanently on the edge. The late 20th century Presidents are sufficiently challenged.