I think every president broke laws while in office. It's really a matter of degree, not an either-or thing.
Clinton, Nixon and LBJ were the most egregious of the modern presidents, in my opinion. But I don't think I would want to see any of them thrown in jail. Putting former presidents in jail on a consistent basis is the hallmark of politically unstable regimes. There is also the great danger that policy differences will be criminalized, as some in our political system have attempted to do.
But to put it in perspective, I'm not sure we've ever had a president who was truly evil. Some had better character than others, but I don't think there were any who deliberately harmed the American people. I could be wrong, but we've been pretty lucky in our history.
I would agree with you in your analysis. Fortunately we are, as Gerald Ford put it, a republic of laws and not of men.
Laws written, enacted, and enforced by men.
