SPECIAL EDITION

From the Editors Desk

This may not come as a shocker to many, but I am an avid reader of history. Much to the chagrin of my communication arts teachers, I seemingly refuse to read anything that is not about American history and presidents. I am not an expert on presidential history (yet), but I know this: when youve read enough about our Commanders-in-Chief, you realize that ranking them is a pointless exercise. All rankings consistently put Washington, Lincoln, FDR, TR, and Kennedy on top. And maybe I would too. But when youve read about those men, and the others who have occupied the office, you cant help but think about the bad things they did because none of them were perfect. If youre holding out for a perfect president, youll be waiting quite a while, because, like us, theyre only human, and theyre going to do some bad things and make bad decisions. Thats a fact. So a battle rages on inside your head: does the good outweigh bad? In some cases, maybe it does. Lincoln won the Civil War, ended slavery, and made real progress for this nation under God, all while probably being not entirely against slavery, and quoting but not believing in God (which means all his references were purely political). But he ended slavery (kind of) and ended the Civil War. So now you see the battle.

And for John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the battle is especially strong. When he took office, JFK represented a new age in America. Just like Theodore Roosevelt before him, and Bill Clinton and Barack Obama after him, John F. Kennedy presented a youthful, vigorous, and inspirational face to America, and America resonated with it. The moment he took office, Kennedy delivered a ringing inaugural address, saying Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty. Then, four months after his tenure began, Kennedy gave the CIA the go-ahead for the Bay of Pigs invasion. The invasion, first planned during the Eisenhower Administration, was supposed to topple Cuba dictator Fidel Castros air force by having Cuban exiles, aided by the CIA, invade southern Cuba at a location known as the Bay of Pigs. Even though the operation was meant to be a secret, the CIA hadnt spotted a radio station on the beach, which broadcasted the whole invasion across Cuba. Castros troops were given enough time to catch the exiles, 114 of whom were killed, while an additional 1,100 were kept as prisoners. Fidel Castro remained at the helm of Cuba until 2008, and is still alive today. However, another large confrontation with Cuba ended with JFK victorious. For 14 days, the world waited on tenterhooks as a nuclear war between the United States and Soviet Union seemed imminent. These 14 days are known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. It all started when the U.S. began placing nuclear missiles around the world, in another attempt to overthrow the Castro regime. These attempts failed, and were stopped when Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev agreed to place Soviet nukes in Cuba to protect from a U.S. attack. When discovering these nuclear weapons in Cuba on October 14, the Kennedy Administration refused to allow them to be delivered, and demanded that they be returned. Their demands were unlikely to be complied with, and they werent, but negotiations began between the Kremlin and the White House. By October 28, 1962, President Kennedy and Premier Kruschcev came to a deal. The Soviets took their nuclear weapons back from Cuba, and the U.S. promised never to attack Cuba. Diplomacy prevailed, and on U.S. terms.

Kennedys remaining foreign policy record has ups and downs. He will go down in history as the first American president to send troops to Vietnam, where the CIA was behind the assassination of President Diem, subscribing to the incorrect belief that any future leader had to be an improvement. John F. Kennedy was also the driving force in passage of the 1963 Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, marking the first time any nations came to together to nix testing of nuclear weapons. The treaty took months to pass the U.S. Congress, and was named by JFK himself as one of his largest accomplishments. A key factor in congressional approval was Kennedy getting support for the document in a tour across the country. The treaty was also ratified by the UK and Soviet Union. In addition, a large part of the Kennedy eloquence was used to challenge Americans to serve. Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for you country. From that line, came the Peace Corps, and suddenly it involved what can you do as a citizen of the world. Young men and women came out in droves to go to other countries and provide assistance to people there pretty remarkable, if you think about it. The Kennedy domestic policy program was chock full of failures too. He probably did more for civil rights than any chief executive since Lincoln, yet the bill he rolled out to much fanfare, failed to pass. Medicare, Medicaid, Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, the NEA, the Department of Transportation: these programs, still significant today, were all large planks of the New Frontier which never got anywhere. In fact, they wouldnt be passed until Lyndon B. Johnson combined congressional grief over his predecessors death and his mastery of politics and arm-twisting to do it. It is hard to know if other Kennedy ideas would have been successful during his unfinished term, like the space program the young president championed but never lived to see work. And, to the public servants personal life: To begin, John F. Kennedys election was in of itself a large accomplishment. Up until it happened, no one believed a Catholic could occupy the White House. But Kennedy turned his back on detractors who claimed religion should change the decision to elect a president, and that came out victorious in the end.

The whole tonnage of Kennedys health problems were not widely known then, or even today. In the course of his short life, John F. Kennedy was hospitalized dozens of times for a range of issues that led to his sickly composure. JFK had severe back problems, and wore a back brace at all times. In addition, when he occupied the Oval Office, Kennedy had suffered from Addison disease for decades. We may never find out the extent of JFKs medical problems, but we know they were masterfully hidden from all but the presidents family and closest advisors. Finally, as we conclude the review of Kennedys personal and public life, I feel compelled to touch upon the sex life. When reading about our 35th President, it seems like sex was almost an obsession with him, in his mind, not a show of unfaith for Jackie. The interesting thing about the timing of JFKs assassination is that it followed one of the lowest points of the Kennedy marriage, but occurred during one of its best. Both John and Jackie were distraught at the death of their two-day-old child Patrick in August. Associates of both Kennedys say the presidents last months was a period of joy in the family. Confronted with the loss of his infant child, Jack was dedicated to spending time with his surviving young children and beautiful wife. John and Jackie were more affectionate in public than they had ever been, and more of Kennedys schedule was being allotted for family. Perhaps one of things that made Jackie so distraught at Jacks death was that she had been so happy in the past months. That all ended in a matter of minutes. But at the end of the day, Kennedys critics miss a large part of the office of the President of the United States. The President cant make laws, or interpret them. He cant unilaterally appoint nominees, ratify treaties, declare war, or impeach anybody. The presidents veto is subject to congressional override, and his term is just four years. So the President takes on a different role, yet a very important one: that of cheerleader. The president cant force Congress to pass his agenda, but only he has the Bully Pulpit. The President, whoever it may be, has a unique ability to affect public opinion and push America the way he wants it to go. And John Fitzgerald Kennedy was very successful to that effect.

Americans were enamored with Kennedy, and his wife and children. They cheered for him, came out in throngs to hear him, and they just loved him like no President before or after has been loved. I was born nearly 40 years after Kennedys assassination, but it doesnt take long to realize the power JFK held over the American public. Not the lawmakers or the rich. The common people. Although he really wasnt, the common family felt like their Commander-in-Chief was one of them. And they responded to that belief. Jacks youth and inspirational eloquence was the key to his Presidency, and whether or not thats a record, it meant something to the people of that era. Even without his martyrdom, 50 years after his administration, JFK could have died not long ago, and easily have been judged by his inspirational factor alone. My point is this: Kennedy had successes and failures, just like all his predecessors, but he inspired America, and with it, the world. No president is more successful than the one who inspires and mobilizes the nation. You could get your whole agenda passed, but if you dont say a word to the people who put you in office, they wont respond to your successes. Kennedy did something he made Americans hopeful and happy. The lasting legacy John Fitzgerald Kennedy will hold is very simply and appropriately conveyed: Dont let it be forgot That once there was a spot, For one brief, shining moment That was known as Camelot. That was the only thing any cheerleader, and Kennedy in particular, could and did aim for.