Kennedy's Legacy

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that what John F. Kennedy had going for him was that he was perhaps the most charismatic, engaging, youthful, accessible, and believable leader that the United States had of the 20th century. The writer maintains that his political substance came not from having particularly effective or strong convictions, but because he held the imagination of the baby boomers - he was the voice of clarity and difference and he was outside of beltway, he stood above the political system that had been so corrupted by the fury of the cold-war and of McCarthyism. The writer discusses however, that although very popular, Kennedy simply wasn't very effective as a President. All the good intentions and pretty political speeches do not make up for a lack of actual lasting policy impact. The writer maintains that Kennedy's popularity in hindsight seems to be based more upon the perpetuation of an idealized image. He represented the power of youth, of potential. The writer concludes that unfortunately, Kennedy's mistakes seemed to be born of youth and a lack of true conviction that what he was doing was right.

From the Paper:

"The nation, however, did not seem to blame Kennedy. The people did not take the point of view that their President had just committed an egregious act of idiocy. Instead, they looked on in dread at the looming communist menace next door - because they were told to do so. The Bay of Pigs can only be described as an absolute fiasco of epic proportions - one that could have only come from a man not truly invested in the process of removal of Castro, but more in the rhetoric. In this Kennedy appeared to be following up on his anti-Communist speech with anti-Communist actions. But, the level of actual commitment was clearly not there. Kennedy had the entire United States military at his disposal. All he had to do was use them. But, clearly, he did not have the stomach to follow it all the way through. Kennedy wanted to appear strong but did not want to have to be strong - image meant everything."

Sample of Sources Used:

• LeFeber, Walter. America, Russia and the Cold War: 1945-2002. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002.
• Merrill, Dennis & Paterson, Thomas G. Major Problems in American Foreign Relations: Since 1914. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005.

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