You're right. Nixon was always thought of as the uber anticommunist. Kennedy was suspect. The Bay of Pigs debacle followed by the successful Cuban missile blockade sent a mixed message to some.
However when one looks back and contrasts JFK with the current crop of Dims he looks almost Reaganesque.
31 posted on 03/05/2005 7:45:52 AM PST by Donald Rumsfeld Fan
("Memos on Bush Are Fake but Accurate". NYTimes)