IN RETROSPECT: JFK

Newspapers and blogs have been filled with reminiscences of Where-I-Was-When-JFK-Died. It was a day etched in our psyches, never to be forgotten.. A plethora of articles on JFK abound these last few weeks, ranging form total adulation to poo-pooing him as a failure as President. I recommend in today's New York Times an analysis on the Op-Ed page by the noted historian Robert Dallek which offers a balanced perspective on his presidency.

One of the salient points made by Robert Dallek was the power of John F. Kennedy's charisma, which was more than charm and magnetism but a positive force to inspire. Who can ever forget his Inaugural speech and the famous "Ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country"? Or "Ich bin ein Berliner."  Such were words that elevated us. He was the young President: as he pointed out in his Inaugural address, the first born in this century (the 20th) and thereby a fresh wind blowing in our stale air.

So, forget the womanizing, the lack of legislative action, the cautious politicking of not antagonizing the southern segregationists but remember the Camelot image of the young knight who had the potential to inspire our lives. If he had lived, I believe he would have accomplished many actions to inspire and direct us as a force in the world. I believe he would have emerged as a powerful force for attainment and good.

In these divisive times, I wish for a leader with that inspiring power.