Comments on: Open Thread: Is Obama Really JFK v2.0?

By: FreedomDemocrats

FreedomDemocrats — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:32:35 +0000

Is it fair to draw similarities between JFK and Obama on the issue of charisma and rhetoric, and then conclude that they will be the same on foreign policy?

JFK was a complete and total foreign policy disaster, both with the Bay of Pigs and the build up in Vietnam. But he campaigned in 1960 as a Cold War Hawk, he was to the right of Nixon on that issue, and continually threw out the “Missile Gap” as a talking point.

Obama seems the exact opposite, someone who’s been opposed to the Washington consensus in pushing for War with Iraq. I think the interesting contrast is how JFK used his rhetoric and charisma to cover up what was essentially a platform that was, except for civil rights, a surprisingly conservative platform, while Obama is using his rhetoric and charisma to cover up what is essentially a more liberal platform. He’s running as Howard Dean and winning.

By: VRB

VRB — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 11:51:14 +0000

I only see the comparison, in that his speeches are inspiring and he has a positive vision of America’s future. Other than that, he doesn’t conjure any images of JFK. Personally I see more of M.L. King Jr.

I also say, don’t underestimate Barack Obama’s ability.

In my life time (when I became aware of the world) I have not seen any sparkling foreign policy performance from any president. Russia’s collapse was inevitable and if you give Reagan credit for that; think of the rest of the world, southeast Asia, Central America, Africa and the Middle East during his administration.

By: Adam Selene

Adam Selene — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 03:23:29 +0000

The point being that Kennedy was pretty much an unmitigated foreign policy disaster and that Obama’s similarities are likely to lead to many of the same problems.

By: Adam Selene

Adam Selene — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 03:21:52 +0000

Brad, there’s some fairly decent evidence that Kruschev was trying for Gorbachev style reforms and that putting missiles in Cuba and the Berlin Wall was the price he had to pay to get the support of the military and some of the hardline Communist Party apparatchiks. The Kennedy administration had some intelligence to support this, but chose to ignore it. The Cuban Missile Crisis actually caused the downfall of Kruschev and any opportunity at Perestroika 20 years earlier than it actually happened.

It’s not certain, of course, it’s all about reading tea leaves. But, it is possible based on some of the evidence. It may be that even that accomplishment was a serious setback.