56 years today, since Dallas. He was a mixture of both good and evil, of unfair and fair, virtuous and iniquitous, extremely reckless and reasonable, selfish and selfless. Like everyone else, a mortal man. He understood the ceaseless criticism faced by any President, and saw the need in it, but thought it all ignorant and unfair. All of it, aimed at any POTUS, for any reason. He believed that only the chief executive can uniquely see, know, and fully consider everything that must be balanced in every decision, each which will be harshly judged both contemporaneously and historically - and with the luxuries of both time and hindsight - and which he alone must ultimately and singularly bear. If you get past the initial repulsion, there’s a lot of truth there. I’d prefer to remember everything before Dallas. Maybe my all-time favorite speech, given at some stupid auto workers convention. This is but one group of organized laborers who had roundly criticized Kennedy for his advocacy for social programs, believing that such might unwittingly erode the Union’s value proposition to members. Further, Kennedy prized emotional maturity and valued the ability to always maintain a sort of unflinching reasonableness even in heated or fearful times. Angry that he’s having to defend his positions to this group, who should be a significant source of support, he struggles to maintain his normally cool detachment.
“...there are 14-15 million Americans who have the resources to protect their interests...but that the interests of the great mass of others, the 140-50 million, is the responsibility of the President of the United States, and I propose to fulfill it.”
I don’t know if I’m more disappointed in Bobby being 4th, that Joe Jr. didn’t make it all, or that Ted & Vince McMahon did.