Rank these presidents on a left-right scale

[afleitch]

though Clinton was quite clearly to the right of Nixon

Yes he was, though not quite enough to be called a 'Tory Socialist' or another similar term (yes I know it's a UK term but there you go). He created OSHA and EPA and upped the pay of federal employees as part and parcel of his policy of a wider government.

For the record, and just for fun, Michael Moore calls Nixon the 'last liberal president.'