Why is JFK considered a great President?

I hear day in and day out that President Bush is evil for getting us into the war in Iraq. Over 3,000 troops have died in Iraq.

JFK got us into Vietnam costing us over 58,000 US soldiers their lives. There is also the Bay of Pigs. JFK's failed landing on Cuba cost over 115 lives and over 1,100 captured Cubans that JFK funded and then abandoned on the beaches. It is also well known that JFK was a womanizer and far from faithful. Finally, JFK is also responsible for eves dropping on Martin Luther King and with possible connections to Marilyn Monroe's death.

I am just curious why President Bush is such a terrible president in Democrats eyes and JFK is considered one of the greatest U.S Presidents.

Finally, I wonder how Ted Kennedy can compare Iraq to Vietnam, when it was his brother that got us into Vietnam. Is it just me? Or would I avoid the subject if my brother was responsible for us wntering the war he claims was so bad?

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Let's not forgot that Kennedy had no intension of equal rights for African Americans (AA). Some PBS thing while back did an interview with former AA leader, non Black Panther type, he basically was treated as a would of been treated back in the 60's by Kennedy during the campaign.

The White House History page for JFK the following:
Shortly after his inauguration, Kennedy permitted a band of Cuban exiles, already armed and trained, to invade their homeland. The attempt to overthrow the regime of Fidel Castro was a failure. Soon thereafter, the Soviet Union renewed its campaign against West Berlin. Kennedy replied by reinforcing the Berlin garrison and increasing the Nation's military strength, including new efforts in outer space. Confronted by this reaction, Moscow, after the erection of the Berlin Wall, relaxed its pressure in central Europe.... The months after the Cuban crisis showed significant progress toward his goal of "a world of law and free choice, banishing the world of war and coercion." His administration thus saw the beginning of new hope for both the equal rights of Americans and the peace of the world. I find that last statment ironic.


The only thing I can think why democrats like him is Marilyn Monroe. I sure when I'm in my wheel chair and two layers of depends that Clinton will reach level. Do we really know why some are heroes and others are aren't.

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Just my humble opinion!

Why is JFK considered a great President? - Great? According to Wikipedia’s entry for Historical Ranking of US Presidents drawing from 12 polls taken over the years, Kennedy was ranked from 8-18 with an average of 12.5 which doesn’t even put him in the top 25%. According to Wikipedia, JFK was noted for his Cold War leadership, Cuban Missile Crisis, Civil Rights legislation and dying young in office giving the impression of unfulfilled promise. He was also a decorated WWII naval war hero (PT 109) who did not have his rich daddy use his influence to get him a deferment or a cushy stateside reserve job. He also established the Peace Corps and Special Forces plus authorized the distinctive Green Beret headgear. (FDR was ranked 2, the highest ranking of any 20th century president. Lincoln holds the top spot.)

I hear day in and day out that President Bush is evil for getting us into the war in Iraq. Over 3,000 troops have died in Iraq. – President Bush was not evil for getting us into Iraq. At best he was ill-advised, at worst he was foolish and stubborn (not traits associated with presidential greatness) President Bush recently said “diplomacy takes time” in reference to the NK situation. He used no such language in getting into Iraq and ignored cooler heads (of state) who were asking for time to try more diplomacy and cautioning him against a rush to war – which he wanted to wage because of unconfirmed, virtually single-source, intelligence on the threat of “weapons of mass destruction (WMD).” There were no terrorists in Iraq when we invaded (or WMD) but the place is crawling with terrorists today. He did not fight in Vietnam. His kids are not rushing to the recruiter to show their support for Iraq. If President Bush used the same “yardstick” he did to decide if there was cause for Iraq to be invaded, we would also have had to invade North Korea (ouch) and probably Iran, and maybe Syria. Thankfully, those 3,000 lives you mentioned seemed to have shown him the need to find a new “yardstick”

JFK got us into Vietnam costing us over 58,000 US soldiers their lives. – Your casualty numbers are close but the rest is a bit skewed. – Our ties to the French got us into Vietnam. The first US serviceman killed in Vietnam in 1945 was a French-speaking US Army O-5 advisor put there during Truman’s presidency. Eisenhower upped the ante a bit out of fear of the “domino theory” and Kennedy upped it a bit with even more advisors. The big jump in troops occurred during the Johnson years after Kennedy was dead.

There is also the Bay of Pigs. JFK's failed landing on Cuba cost over 115 lives and over 1,100 captured Cubans that JFK funded and then abandoned on the beaches. – The initial concept of operations and planning for The Bay of Pigs occurred during Eisenhower’s watch, as pointed out by Parisok above. Kennedy was presented with a decision for an action which he had not asked to take place but OK’d it anyway after being briefed. After it failed, he quickly came out and assumed the blame. I think President Bush skipped that class in college. He has trouble admitting to any mistakes much less assuming blame for them.

It is also well known that JFK was a womanizer and far from faithful. So were a lot of other presidents and worse, too, slave owners, human traffickers, drunk drivers, etc. I’m not trying to defend him here but pointing out that we would not have had many presidents at all if sainthood were a requirement for the job. But, JFK did know the pope.

Finally, JFK is also responsible for eves dropping on Martin Luther King and with possible connections to Marilyn Monroe's death. You would have trouble getting a conviction of JFK on either of these. J. Edgar Hoover might even get off but you would have a stronger case against him.

I am just curious why President Bush is such a terrible president in Democrats eyes and JFK is considered one of the greatest U.S Presidents. I am not a Democrat and it is a little early to judge President Bush as terrible, great or somewhere in between but I would say many folks feel disappointment. He would have had trouble winning that second term if the elections were held today. As mentioned above, JFK can not really be said to be one of the greatest – he had his share of problems, but he did serve in war when it was his time, he did accept blame when he had to and he also held firm against the very real threat of nuclear war when he had to...