^{_{by Patrick J.Z.}}

"Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."

Words like these have the power to inspire. We need leaders who utter such motivating poetry. It is the sign of genuine statesmanship. Yes, we all know that it takes more than a rhyme and eloquent tongue to provide effective leadership, especially over a country as diverse and powerful as the USA. But what exactly is the main prerogative of a president, or head of state? After keeping the country safe and defending the constitution of the United States, is it not to galvanize the talent and resources of the nation into a series of successful enterprises, so as to stimulate advancement in every field of endeavor? It can be properly argued that moral example is important as well. However, looking back through a presidential kaleidoscope it is difficult finding that perfect executive of supreme virtue, courage, and intellect. Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Andrew Jackson, and John Adams, are a few who may rank high on the morality scale. Yet, as one examines their lives a little closer, questionable conduct can be detected in the area of unpublished sexual behavior, violence, depression, and spiritual unorthodoxy.

So exactly what does it take for a president to go down in history as a successful administrator? Future generations will no doubt come up with the right answers, provided that future generations are generous with mercy, and in possession of all the facts rather than scattered pieces of politically infected disinformation.

No one rejects the fact that John Kennedy had moral failings, except for those persons who have placed him in the idolized temple of their imagination. But going further into the bio of this extraordinary historical figure, it would not be intellectually honest to dismiss his good and finer points as a human being - and as an American President.

John Kennedy throughout his political career fought for the common man in labor, industry, and civil justice. Regardless of spurious and exaggerated slants poured out over the internet, or published in cheap books, he stood up against organized crime and other domestic threats within this country. Communism was countered at every turn by action, and by his persuasive rhetoric (see “I’m a Berliner” speech). Also, Kennedy's definition of liberal was a lot different than it is today.

"....if by a liberal they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties.. If that is what they mean by a "liberal" then I am proud to be a liberal. " ^{_{~ John F. Kennedy}}

The following accomplishments are attributed to John F Kennedy, 35th President of the United States:

* The Peace Corps: A volunteer organization that helps underdeveloped nations with needed knowledge and equipment for their own advancement.

* Alliance for Progress: A Western Hemisphere effort, where membership nations worked together in cooperative ventures of trade and the exchange of ideas.

* Upgraded Space Program: Motivated the nation into a successful all out space program that led to many other residual benefits in space exploration, science, and technology; in addition to national prestige.

* Nuclear Test Ban treaty: A treaty worked out with the Soviet Union that eliminated above ground testing of nuclear weapons, providing for a healthier world atmosphere for all nations.

* Civil Rights: Even though John Kennedy could have done more legislatively to fight the causes of repression against Black Americans, he did stir up national passion through key television speeches on the issue of race:

"...We are confronted primarily with a moral issue. It is as old as the scriptures and is as clear as the American Constitution.

The heart of the question is whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities, whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated. If an American, because his skin is dark, cannot eat lunch in a restaurant open to the public, if he cannot send his children to the best public school available, if he cannot vote for the public officials who will represent him, if, in short, he cannot enjoy the full and free life which all of us want, then who among us would be content to have the color of his skin changed and stand in his place? Who among us would then be content with the counsels of patience and delay?..." ^_~JFK

Of course political critics will bring up the uncertainties surrounding The Bay of Pigs, The Cuban Missile Crisis, and Vietnam. And yet the same Monday morning quarterbacking can be applied to Lincoln's decisions that triggered America into a bloody Civil War; Jackson's breaking of the United States bank, plunging the nation into a deep recession; or Roosevelt's social programs, moving the country extremely left. And by reason of all the complexities, historical and otherwise, inculcated into any given crisis or situation a president must face, there will always be pros and cons weighed, after the fact, by common debate and specialized scrutiny.
Gordon Goldstein of the LA Times had this commentary in the November 22nd issue:

“It's not possible to know for certain how Kennedy would have managed the crisis in Vietnam had he lived. But it's clear that he was determined to prevent Vietnam from becoming an American war and that he expected to withdraw fully during a second term.” -_Goldstein

There is much evidence that this is the direction President Kennedy was headed concerning Vietnam. He already proved in earlier crises his capability to withstand the influence of the military elite. In a meeting with some of his generals, who were pressuring him to release more troops into Vietnam, Kennedy remarked, “If you can convince the general (Douglas MacArthur ) on the matter then I will consider it.” MacArthur already warned President Kennedy to avoid putting “regulars” in Southeast Asia.

Cuba unfortunately was an inherited debacle. The Bay of Pigs came upon the new President like a sudden rogue wave. Yes, he approved the invasion, but with the clear stipulation that no American troops would be involved. The CIA and U.S. military assured him that they were not needed, only to leave him with the blame when things went literally south.

The missile crisis was a continuation of this saga. As a matter of record, numerous KGB and Russian military personnel, who were active on the U.S.S.R. side during this historical confrontation, gave JFK rethought praise for the way he handled the dangerous conflict. According to their testimonies, after the break up of Russian communism, Khrushchev and his high ranking military were poised and determined to use nuclear weapons had America invaded Cuba, which the U.S. generals incessantly argued for Kennedy to do. Had any other man been in the White House at the time it might be a different world we live in today, something out of sci-fi land. Yet, the sun came up this morning, and we are all still here.

In the end, President Kennedy did what he did, and could, before he died, thankful for the help of a Higher Power. John Kennedy, like his predecessors, was very human, and that is refreshing. He also holds the title of a Statesman, i.e., someone who does what he believes is best for his country, even at his own expense. A true Profile in Courage in my estimation, an inspirational leader, irrespective of never ending political and personal controversies.

"What kind of peace do I mean? What kind of peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better life for their children - not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women - not merely peace in our time but peace for all time....For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal.” <sup><sub>~ John F Kennedy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPdFNzNR45s



* Sources:

JFK Presidential Library; Archives of speeches and addresses of President John F.Kennedy; Douglas MacArthur: Warrior as Wordsmith By Bernard K. Duffy, Ronald H. Carpenter Published by Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997; Euro-Cuba News: missile crisis special 10-14-2002 http://www.ibike.org/cuba/library/Missile%20Crisis%20(2).htm</sub>


 Tribute to Robert F.Kennedy      Legislative record of  Edward M..Kennedy</sup>