Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Biting the Bullet on Camelot?

Some guy is doing a documentary on President John Kennedy for the History Channel, and because he's not depicting the guy as a saint, everybody's getting their knickers in a twist. Very few people dispute certain things JFK got away with (like nominating his brother as Attorney General? Hello???). They manage to wink at certain indiscretions when it comes to their hero, when they would be outraged for certain other Presidents trying to pull off much less.

Don't believe me? Seen any Republicans lionize Nixon lately?

Kennedy's charm and vigor, and the tragic circumstances of his death, have made it hard to see the man clearly. A 1968 study on "juvenile idealization of the president" quoted a Houston mother: "When my little girl came out of school she told me someone killed the president, and her thoughts were -- since the president was dead, where would we get our food and clothes from?" But "juvenile idealization" isn't limited to juveniles

Don't sign the petition. May God rest him, but the man's been on a pedestal long enough. Let history do its job.
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