Will Obama Find His Inner Kennedy?

"Too intelligent and too weak," Russian Premier Nikita Khrushchev said of newly minted U.S. President John F. Kennedy after their meeting in Vienna, Austria in June 1961. This observation became a catalyst for Khrushchev's decision a year later to deploy nuclear weapons to Cuba triggering the historic showdown between the world's two superpowers. Kennedy himself later admitted to New York Times reporter James Reston that, "He (Khrushchev) just beat the hell out of me" during that summit in Vienna.

Fortunately JFK licked his diplomatic wounds, learned from his mistakes and came back much stronger for their next go around in October 1962 with nothing less than the future of mankind at stake. Kennedy had learned that the power of his personality was not enough win over communist hardliners and instead the young president evolved into a shrewd Cold Warrior with steely resolve taking not only Khrushchev but many in Kennedy's own administration by surprise.

President Barack Obama can match JFK'S charisma smile for smile, quip for quip but he'll have to dig a little deeper to find his inner Kennedy. Like his predecessor, Obama too is being tested by communist and religious hard-liners on the world stage. His relative silence on the ongoing election crisis in Iran has not gone unnoticed by his fellow leaders and now he's got another big problem on his hands.

According to Japanese intelligence reports, North Korea may fire a ballistic missile toward Hawaii around the Fourth of July. While North Korea's Taepodong-2 missile does not appear to have enough range to reach Hawaii (experts say it would fall about 500 miles short of the mainland), it does pose a threat to The United States and its standing in the world. It's time for President Obama to sit behind the Resolute desk and be resolute in his administration's dealing with despots and rogue governments going forward. Now is not the time for a televised town meeting or manufactured photo-op. Mister Obama, please tell the TV photographers to go away and lock yourself in the Oval Office with your top advisors and come up with a game plan.

"I've got a terrible problem if he thinks I'm inexperienced and have no guts," John F. Kennedy once said about his Russian rival. It's now gut check time for President Obama as well.

Comments

[Onepebbleinthelandslide]

From the moment Barack Obama announced his run for the office of president people have been quick to offer unsolicited assessments of what this man needs to do, where he seems weak and/or who he needs to behave more like. We can add Casey to the ranks of opinion peddlers who claim to know what he should be doing and which past president he should be emulating now that he holds their former office. The office that few people thought he would have much chance of winning.

Early on they said, he’ll never beat out Edwards, Biden, Richardson, Dodd and the other established well known old school crowd.
Well, maybe . . .
But, he’ll surely never get past Clinton . . . she’s got a whole two years on him as a Senator. She’s a she and white too, with big name recognition and lots of money.
Well, maybe . . .
But, what about McCain? 30 plus years of being a well connected, influential politician. Lots of family money and backing, decorated Viet Nam war hero . . . He’ll never win over someone like that, surely.

And yes, campaigning is different than governing; community service is not like heading an executive office or conducting foreign policy. I know . . . we’ve heard it all.

Worry not though, Casey. If it turns out you were wrong in assuming that Obama doesn’t really have a “game plan”, you’ll just blend in with the ever growing hordes.

[JRsNana]

Obama doesn't need to "dig deep to find his inner Kennedy". What a crock. He is his own man. Imperfect as that may be. He at least knows who he is. On Iran, he's doing the exact right thing. If we're seen as interfering, it will cause even more problems (those who refuse to look at history are doomed to repeat it), and North Korea - well, we have missile defense on the way to Hawaii as we speak.

[Bcasey11]

comparing obama and JFK is insulting to JFK

[MMoore]

Within his large connected family, Kennedy had two especially important family members: his father, who provided a vivid example of how to move persuasively among the rich and powerful, and brother, Bobby, who, underneath it all, had more of a natural street fighter mentality than Jack. Bobby was made attorney general, the nation's top law enforcer, in part to provide John the spine and emotional support to wield the sword of power. BO has none of this background. He's a professor with a default mother complex. He seems to move through the halls of power using his spontaneous wit, intellect and winning smile to charm his way to influence. I cannot image BO wielding a sword; he really hates to make anyone unhappy. Incidents like publicly ordering hamburgers for his staff make him seem weak. What's the message here? Is this another failed presidency in the making? Only time will tell of course.

[TRUE BLUE AMERICAN]

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay ANY PRICE, bear ANY BURDEN, meet ANY HARDSHIP, support ANY FRIEND, oppose ANY FOE, in order to ASSURE the survival and success of LIBERTY. JFK 1961. When Obama decides to stand up in a show of strength as a proud and brave American instead of apologizing in weak fashion, he will be on his way to resembling JFK.

[dst1]

President Obama will do just that when the time is right and he is called on to do so. It will be because he is in fact a leader and not a follower, JFK not withstanding. Love them both.

[Ben6768]

Obama speaks like JFK but acts like Jimmy Carter : he is a polite referee, not a bold leader.

[We-Are-The-Ones]

Obama does not need to be Kennedy or to try to find JFK within himself. Nor does he need to be Lincoln, Truman or FDR. He only need to be himself.

And what you call photo ops, I call information sessions with the people of the United States who are traumatized by all the damage done by the Bush administration.

[verycold]

With all honesty, I see very little similarity between JFK and Obama. JFK was a passionate speaker that spoke for the average joe. He didn't have to force it. It was all those family chats around the dinner table debating social issues. Kennedy came from a clan. Obama is very much the loner. Obama may very much enjoy all the attention, much like Kennedy, but Obama does not enjoy the people. Bill Clinton enjoyed people like the Kennedy boys. They were use to large crowds and frat house ways. Obama knows nothing about that world.

Kennedy also knew the military first hand. Obama knows nothing about that world either and herein lies the big problem. Biden was foisted on him and that is no match made in heaven. Obama will not be deferring to Joe either because the ego is too big. Yes, JFK had an ego as well as do ALL presidents. That is how they got there to begin with.

Obama is moving too fast on every issue. He has piled too much on his plate. You might think he is a cool guy, but measured behavior does not necessarily make for a strong leader. I remember watching Bush 1 some years after he was out of office. He talked about the WH and his family and cried on the program. Barbara said he was the soft one. I kept thinking watching the tears flow that too bad we didn't see this passion before.

[DofG]

Yeah, his "inner Kennedy" would be not knowing that the Russians were bluffing all along! Furthermore, I really grow tired of people in our Western culture trying codify, formulize, and make comparisons between people, and events from the past; as if these things are absolute predictors of future outcomes. And when these comparisons truly apply, we get selective amnesia, and end up with the present collection of messes we find ourselves in! This has become the fundamental flaw in Western philosophical thinking-where we quantify, and catalog infinity to create the ego's version of omniscience, without understanding oness; not as an abstraction, but as the total content of being. We engage in this folly to no end with everything in culture; and not the least bit wiser for it. So what you end up with are endless ramifications, and endless consequenses (The Sorcerer's Apprentice) in an attempt to "control" the cosmos, rather that being in harmony with it.

We should stop over glorifying people, and those things in the past that merely serve our ever changing memory of them. Just as the Mississippi is the same river, but not the same water, we should let Obama, be Obama- a different president in the same White House!

[Brezzydee]

You all don't get it. This man is strategic, walk soft and carry a BIG stick. He watch, think, analyze and then he promote his thoughts and plans.

He don't rush for anyone, and I'm sure it tare up his teams nerves often.

A person don't come from no where and get to be the most powerful person in the world jumping on everything that come down the pipe. When he speak it will be valid.

One more thing. It''s a different type of man in the Whitehouse now. When he do come out with his full message everyone will understand.

The Obama team is always working behind the scenes, they never come out with their full message until they are finished. Remember the pirates.

[Brute]

When will Barry find his inner Barry? He suffers from a personal identity crisis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_crisis_(psychology)

Constantly comparing himself to Roosevelt, Lincoln, Kennedy, Truman…………

The guy doesn’t even know who he is.

No sense of himself or his role.

[LeftCoastLarry]

Obama clearly needs to find his inner Kennedy. But more than that, he needs to find his inner Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
He took on corporate interests like no one has done since and the country came out of the Great Depression as a result.

[whocan]

Casey, go over JFK and his policies and philosophy­...He would be reviled on a site like this... He wanted to cut taxes, smaller government, supported the military, pro life, .... he would be today a Republican

[freshnotbitter]

Obama's staff sucks. He needs much, much better advice, politically and foreign policy-wise.

North Korea: What is the natural order of things? Go with the flow. Korea will be united. there is a natural process that acts like a magnet for unificaiton. So you begin, slowly and deliberately, to build the case for a war of unification. I hesitate to even offer this much advice, because the incompetents in the White House are sure to botch it totally.

Oh, well. That's the way the cookie crumbles.

[alison22]

I have a great idea. Since you are soooooo much smarter why don't you run for president so you can save the world!

[Dolmance]

I think Obama is infinitely better than JFK. JFK came within a hair of killing billions with the Cuban Missile Crisis. And the worst thing about it was, the outcome didn't make a shred of difference to our safety. Because a Russian missile coming in from Cuba is no more or less lethal than a missile coming over the North Pole.

We almost died in that one. The world was almost destroyed. Obama would never do a thing like that.