Blasts From The Past, And Other Places Part 6

The Negative Impact of JFK on the US Presidency

John Kennedy is having more of an impact on American politics in death then he ever had while alive.
JFK spawned a field of imitators with Bill Clinton and John Kerry becoming the most prominent of his protégés. Both men have made it clear that they worship Kennedy. Clinton met the former president as a youth and many of Kerry’s career has followed the same path as Kennedy. Sailor, Senator and presidential hopeful.
The unfortunate aspect of this behavior is these two politicians chose to mimic Kennedy’s poorest qualities. Instead of being resolute on defense issues, Clinton and Kerry, despite his wartime service, have done everything in their power to weaken the U.S. Kennedy faced down the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis, while Clinton allowed our sailors on the USS Cole to be slaughtered by terrorists without taken any action. Kerry voted against almost every weapons development bill put before the Senate during the 1980s, when the Cold War had heated up and the weapons were needed.
Kerry, like JFK, commanded a small warship. To me this is no coincidence. Kerry requested to serve on a PCF, which while smaller then Kennedy’s PT boat, was as close as he could come during the Vietnam War. However, Kennedy did not play up his wartime exploits during his campaign against Richard Nixon, another sailor, nor did he bash Nixon’s service record.
JFK had extramarital affairs, as did Clinton.