Obama is Kennedy-esque—And Not in a Good Way

[Vinnie From Indy]

Obama is Kennedy-esque—And Not in a Good Way - by:Fran Quigley

The parallels between John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama, the subject of so much romantic conjecture during the election season, have continued into Obama’s presidency.

And that is not a good thing.

I am not talking about handsome young First Families, breaking down barriers of religion and race, or offering an eloquent voice appealing to the better selves of Americans and world citizens alike.

I am talking about similarly futile and ugly wars—Vietnam for Kennedy, Afghanistan for Obama—that would have destroyed Kennedy’s legacy had he lived, and threatens to derail Obama’s presidency unless he dramatically reverses course.

Kennedy had an ambitious domestic agenda for advancing civil rights and reducing poverty, an agenda achieved by Lyndon Johnson in a measure so significant that a surviving Kennedy may not have been able to do it himself. Obama would likely be thrilled to leave the White House with Great Society-levels of achievement in his own goals for health care reform and climate change.

But the Kennedy-Johnson domestic legacy is forever tarnished by their shared lack of a courageous profile in dealing with the Vietnam War. Fearing a loss of face in global and domestic political circles, they ramped up the senseless U.S. engagement, and bear responsibility for the deaths of millions of Vietnamese civilians and tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers.

Johnson received the brunt of the condemnation for those fateful decisions, but Kennedy increased twenty-fold the number of U.S. troops in Vietnam during his short tenure. It seems likely a two-term President Kennedy would have escalated the war, and then he instead of Johnson would have felt the wrath of the Baby Boomer generation, international consensus, and, eventually, history.

Obama, with his decision to double the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan, is strolling down his own treacherous Ho Chi Minh trail. Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the new top commander of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, predicts that U.S. casualties will increase in the coming months and years. The U.N estimates that over 2,000 Afghan civilians were killed last year alone.

Hundreds of those were victims of U.S.-led airstrikes, which have become notorious for the indiscriminate killings that are characteristic of air warfare. We seem to be reading weekly reports of Afghan children and mothers blown up by aptly-named Predator drones or torched by manned aircraft unable to accurately distinguish enemies from innocents.

We Obama voters who were repulsed by George W. Bush’s ham-handed response to 9/11 can’t blame Bush for the current carnage, any more than Kennedy could blame Dwight Eisenhower for the Vietnam swamp JFK willingly hiked into. The current pattern of civilian deaths, and the resulting resentment of the Afghan people, are the responsibility of Commander in Chief Obama.

The Kennedy-Johnson legacy is stained by the blood of every innocent Vietnamese civilian and every young American soldier who died in vain.

Now Obama’s 21st century Camelot may be turning into an old-fashioned 1960’s deadly quagmire. Here’s hoping that, in this respect, Barack Obama is no John Kennedy.

This column is online at http://www.indystar.com/article/20090615/OPINION12/906150313/1002/OPINION/Too+much+like+Kennedy?


reprinted w/author's permission

[boomerbust]

1. Projection

I dont recall Bush being analyzed this clodely in the first 5 months.

[armyowalgreens]

2. Okay. That doesn't mean it's wrong.

That means we just didn't do a good enough job when Bush was in office.

[boomerbust]

3. Okay

It doesn't mean it's right either.

[armyowalgreens]

5. But attempting to marginalize criticism because it didn't work

like this in the last administration is dumb.

If you want to argue the point made by the OP, argue the damn point. Otherwise, don't make snide comments.

[Bucky]

Did you just tell a DUer not to make snide comments? Really?

It's like telling a kitten not to chase the laser flashlight spot on the wall. You gotta learn to ignore all the feebs who feel the need to scornfully type "STFU, Peggy Noonan!" into every thread as if Peggy Noonan is sitting right there in the room and sniffling because she's been told to shut up.

[ixion]

6. well, except that it is correct

Obama DID increase troop levels, and doing so will increase the number of casualties, statistically speaking.

And it is a hostile occupation. With the exception of the Karazi puppet government, no one really wants us there.

Remember: They don't call Afghanistan the "Graveyard of Empire" for nothing.

[pepperbear]

12. oh yeah, you win. what a devastating come back,

that's the ol' pepper.

[nichomachus]

10. But Bush didn't come in promising "CHANGE"

and then not deliver.

And Bush was being criticized for his policy failures -- however, that was all washed away on 9-11.

How many people remember this headline -- USA Today, September 10, 2001



They actually used the world "failed" in regard to Bush.

[truedelphi]

15. I think people only remember how Rah Rah the country went

For Bush after Nine Eleven. I happen to remember the talking heads who were ticked off about his not getting the job losses; the factories and companies leaving the USA, etc.

Up to and including on September 10th.

But Nine Eleven happened and all else was forgotten.

[madrchsod]

4. he`s decided to fight two wars while the states are bankrupt.

change that we can believe in is a cruel joke played on those who voted for him

[sandnsea]

7. This is exactly what he said he'd do

Maybe you had other priorities last year and weren't able to pay attention to the election.

:shrug:

[Captain Hilts]

8. But Hillary was the 'war monger' candidate. Folks here saw him as the 'peace' candidate.

I didn't see a significant difference between the two on that front.

[no limit]

9. actually these 2 wars were handed to him

we made the mess over there, it's up to us to clean it up.

[glitch]

11. The best way to clean something up is to stop adding dirt and start cleaning. nt

[no limit]

14. That's a very nice and clever anology

Unfortunately it's not very accurate. If we pull out of those 2 countries they will be a mess, in much worse shape than they are now and way worse shape than what they had before we went in there.

[truedelphi]

16. Truly some wisdom there. n/t

[Vidar]

13. K&R.