Shrub (George Walker Bush) - A name bestowed by the late columnist & author Molly Ivins. Ivins, who knew Bush in high school, took the name Shrub from the name of Bush's oil company - "Arbusto," which is spanish for shrub. She also referred to him as Dubya, which is based on the Texas pronunciation of "W."
Slick Willie (William Jefferson Clinton) - Came from an editorial article in the "Arkansas Democrat Gazette." The nickname does the skillful job of referring to the "Teflon" nature of Clinton where nothing ever seemed to stick to him. He could pretty much talk his way out of everything.
The Gipper (Ronald Wilson Reagan) - Named after a role he played in the movie "Knute Rockne, All American". It was a movie about football and Ronald Reagan played George Gipp. The lead characters line was: "The last thing George said to me, 'Rock,' he said, 'sometime when the team is up against it and the breaks are beating the boys, tell them to go out there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper." Reagan cheerfully adopted this nickname himself.
The Accidental President (Gerald Ford) - Ford had a reputation for being a klutz, and luckily for us, his many slips and falls were caught on camera. His most famous was when he tripped coming out of Air Force One, and tumbled down about 12 feet of steps. His nickname also had to do with the fact that he never ran for President or Vice President. Nixon appointed him from Congress directly to the Vice Presidency to replace Spiro Agnew. Then, when Nixon was impeached, Ford became President.
Tricky Dick (Richard Milhous Nixon) - No list of colorful Presidential nicknames would be complete without Nixon. First coined by Democratic opponent Helen Gahagan Douglas, during the 1950 race for the California U.S. Senate. Nixon earned the name for his questionable tactics when competing for a Senate seat, and then later with the Watergate scandal.
Give 'Em Hell Harry (Harry S. Truman) - This was shouted out from a crowd listening to one of his famously fiery speeches, and the name stuck throughout his Presidency, as he earned the reputation of being a vigilant watchdog of the nation's well-being.
The Sphinx of the Potomac (Calvin Coolidge) - Coolidge was known for being the most quiet President ever. Legends abound of how difficult it was to get him to talk. His perplexing silence most likely annoyed the heck out of those around him, because they never knew what he was thinking. Thus, his silent made him mysterious like an Egyptian sphinx.
The Professor (Woodrow Wilson) - Wilson was an intelligent man who preferred to think and speak for himself, so he never used speech-writers. (I'd like to see obama try that one.) Wilson was one of the few to be hailed as an intellectual. Compare this, with the latter Presidents whose IQ has been the butt of many jokes.
The Lion (Theodore Roosevelt) - Roosevelt earned a number of colourful nicknames. We'll go with, "The Lion," because it sums up his military record before his time in office, and his grit and determination in rooting out corruption on his way to the top. Roosevelt ruled with a very firm hand.
His Obstinacy (Grover Cleveland) - A President famous for his use of the veto power. He had a rubber stamp and he wasn't afraid to use it. Cleveland later bragged that his greatest accomplishment as President was blocking other peoples bad ideas.
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