Ike was liked. Now Americans are seeing why. (washingtonpost.com) Ike was liked. Now Americans are seeing why. By Evan Thomas 2026051510310200 A year after Dwight D. Eisenhower left the presidency in 1961, he was rated 22nd out of 31 past presidents in a poll of presidential scholars. In recent years, similar polls have ranked him in the top five of the 45 American presidents. What changed?