Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader has, from time to time, shared with you his lists of the “greatest” Presidents of the United States. Well how about a short list of his favorite Founders of our great Republic? Here is a top 5 list of the greatest Founders of the United States of America.

1 - George Washington. Please just accept that in your Maximum Leader’s eyes there is no greater American than George Washington. (He is followed closely by Abraham Lincoln.) First in war. First in peace. First in the hearts of his countrymen. If it were not for Washington leadership the Continental Army would have dissolved into nothing and the British would have retaken their North American Colonies and history would have been a lot different.

2 - John Adams. This was a tough one for me. Not that Adams isn’t deserving of this place. He most certainly is. But I also like #3 a lot. Without Adams’ tireless political work, the actual business of creating a coalition of colonies and factions within those colonies and forming them into a nation would certainly not have occurred. He is an overlooked founder because of his not-so-successful Presidency and political feuds with Thomas Jefferson. Americans owe more to Adams than we collectively remember. That is a shame. (And in the current political climate one would think Adams’ star would be more ascendant as he never owned slaves. Since that appears to be the litmus test for everything.)

3- Benjamin Franklin. Of all of the Founders, you Maximum Leader thinks he would most like to be real buddies with Benjamin Franklin. Yes, Washington is the best, but your Maximum Leader thinks that there would always be distance between Washington and everyone else. Washington was a reserved guy to all but his closest friends. It seems to your Maximum Leader that Franklin could become fast friends with anyone he liked and would a blast to hang out with. Talk about politics, science, philosophy, nature, history, travel, and women. His familiarity with Britain (from years as the colonies agent there) and his world-view was a great asset to our fledgling nation. He also seemed to be able to take the edge off tense situations - a talent sorely lacking in his Nation today.

4 - Thomas Jefferson. One might think that, as a Virginian, your Maximum Leader would hold Jefferson in much more esteem than he does. Jefferson’s words are immortal and resonant to this day. He understood and could capture in words the idealism upon which our Nation was founded and which have served as our inspiration for over two hundred and forty years. But Jefferson was a morass of contradictions and impracticality. It is hard for your Maximum Leader to cozy up to Jefferson.

5 - Robert Morris. Who? Yes, Robert Morris. Without Morris’ tireless work in the Continental Congress (and later the work of his friend, but not relation, Gouverneur Morris), it is unlikely that the young United States would have been able to acquire money, arms, and ships with which to supply the Continental Army and continue the fight against the British. We all owe Robert Morris a great debt of gratitude.

There you go. A revolutionary top 5 list. Enjoy your Independence Day America!

Carry on.