November 22nd

November 22nd is a monumental day in history, one of those days when those who were around remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when the even took place. It's the 25th anniversary of my Bar Mitzvah! All right, I don't mean to make light of the JFK assassination, but I couldn't resist patting myself on the back for all the studying and hard work that was put into one of the greatest Torah readings in modern history. Does that sound a bit hyperbolic and revisionist? Unfortunately, so is the image of President Kennedy.

It seems to be fashionable in some conservative circles these days to refer to JFK as the first Neo-Conservative president, and to draw parallels between him and George W. Bush. But, to paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen, Bush is no Jack Kennedy. The most cynical among us might claim that the only thing they have in common is that they both stole elections. Bush's speechwriters might have borrowed some of the thematic rhetoric from those of Kennedy, but his actions on those words have been quite different. Kennedy was a staunch anti-communist, just as Bush is purported to be the strong leader against terrorism (the heir to communism as the biggest enemy of the West.) But Kennedy recognized the importance of having allies and international partnerships, and bringing American goodwill throughout the world. He initiated the Alliance for Progress, established the Peace Corps and signed onto the first nuclear test ban treaty. The jewel in the Right's recent adoption of Kennedy as one of their own, tax cuts, doesn't hold water when one does a comparison of who benefited most. Another thing that distinguished JFK from GWB is the ability to take responsibility for a failure (Bay of Pigs). And it's curious how the new conservative fans, after years of admonishing Bill Clinton's indiscretions for how they tarnished the office, are willing to give Kennedy a pass for even more prolific philandering.

At the same time, the Left should not put Kennedy on too high a pedestal either. Whatever his personal beliefs, JFK was more a master of the political game than an ideologue, in much the same way that Clinton was later on. This was particularly true on Civil Rights. Even in 1960, before the Dixiecrats switched over to the Republican side, it was almost impossible for a northern Democrat to be elected president. So Kennedy hedged his official support for the movement. (It took a Nixon to go to China, and it took an LBJ to get the Civil Rights Act passed.) Plus, Kennedy helped get the ball rolling in Vietnam. Whether things would have escalated into the nightmare that ensued can only be speculation either way, despite what Oliver Stone might think.

History works in strange ways. I think JFK is rated high on the list of presidents because of his image and the sense of optimism he brought his country - contrasted with the years of turmoil that followed. On his own merits, he was probably a fair, moderate, middle-of-the-pack president. If George W. Bush could be that now, what a wonderful world it would be.