Epic Fails of U.S. Presidential History

Jeb Bush’s rise and fall are now complete. The once “inevitable” “front-runner” with the “rock star name” is doomed to watch from the sidelines as his golden(ish)-haired debate nemesis and his upstart “protégé” trade barbs and compete for votes.

The bad news: Jeb! doesn’t win the White House—thus preventing his family from becoming America’s first triple-crown White House winner. The good news: Jeb! now joins a small but distinguished club of illustrious political losers: those who could have won the presidency, should have won the presidency—but didn’t. Aside from the losing-the-presidency part, this list really isn’t bad company, as far as history is concerned.

Here are seven of the most epic fails in American presidential history, with the decline of Jeb Bush now ranked among them. ...