What did Kennedy do for the history of this country?(Canada)

nationalnewswatch.com ^ | Nov 20, 2013 | CP staff

[headsonpikes]

WASHINGTON - John F. Kennedy's personal pollster came to Canada with an assumed name, the blessing of the president and a secret objective: help defeat the Diefenbaker Tories.

Canadians might be surprised by the extent to which political events in this country were shaped by the charismatic U.S. leader, famously assassinated 50 years ago this week.

Helping to elect the Pearson Liberals, for starters, who would go on to introduce a new national flag, expand the welfare state and create medicare, the old-age pension system, and the royal commission on bilingualism.

The Liberals got tactical support, with state-of-the-art polling. Diplomatic rockets rained down on their opponents. And in the heat of an election campaign, the opposition leader was invited to the White House as an honoured guest.

The perceived interference became so acute that a fuming John Diefenbaker eventually took the extraordinary step of recalling Canada's ambassador to the U.S.

That diplomatic riposte failed to stop the Diefenbaker Conservatives from disintegrating, through internal divisions and a non-confidence motion that focused specifically on relations with the U.S.

Did Kennedy play a determining role?

"I think he played a very major role in Canadian history," John English, Pearson's biographer and a one-time Liberal MP, said in an interview.

"He definitely influenced Canadian history through the 1962-63 election period. There's no doubt that his animosity to Diefenbaker made his position very difficult not only with the broader public, but within his own party."

[Uri’el-2012]

He was not a Keynesian.

This was his high point.

He had great speech writers.

He was great at rhetorical delivery.

Never did understand what a
Jelly Doughnut is called in Berlin.

Passed woman around as if they
were pieces of meat.

Had an affair with a Nazi spy in Washington DC

Sent to war in the Pacific.

Abysmal sailor, turned off his engines
in enemy waters.

Allowed his ship to be destroyed by an enemy cruiser.

Other than the first item listed
he was a run of the mill Kennedy.

[Monterrosa-24]

“...sent 15,000 advisers and Special Forces he invented just for Vietnam...”

And this concept of Special Forces should have been used to train and assist the host government forces while on the strategic level conventional forces cut off and punished the aggressor nation. So eventually we had conventional forces in Vietnam playing a counter-insurgency game while the NVA were able to march down unopposed.

A well-engineered menacing and conventional (Maginot) Line along the 17th parallel all the way through Laos and into Thailand is what was needed. Not just a static defense but also a launch area for operations oriented toward the north when the NVA created mischief. The counter-insurgency part would have been successful.

Kennedy does not deserve the blame for putting half a million men in a counter-insurgency roles while the NVA invasion was allowed to continue unchecked. That was all LBJ and the “best and brightest” JFKers he retained.

[DeaconRed]

"he was a run of the mill Kennedy."

Kennedys' got their $$ from bootleg whiskey.
The bible says you will reap what you sow.
I think they reaped a lot of bad luck.
They are Yankee rednecks with money; ill gotten money.

[vbmoneyspender]

Kennedy made one of the most, if not the single most disastrous American foreign policy decisions ever made by an American President.

Specifically, in 1963, Kennedy gave the green light for the assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem, who was the President of South Vietnam. As a result of Diem's assassination, Prince Norodom Sihanouk, who was the leader of Cambodia, declared Cambodia to be a neutral party in the war between North and South Vietnam. At the same time, Sihanouk kicked American military advisers out of Cambodia. Sihanouk took these actions because he believed that if Kennedy was willing to have an ally like Diem assassinated, he might very well do the same thing to Sihanouk.

As a result of Sihanouk's actions, Cambodia became a safe haven for the Viet Cong and the NVA and the Ho Chi Minh trail, thru which the Viet Cong was supplied, was extended for hundreds of miles south along the eastern border of South Vietnam. This made South Vietnam's war with North Vietnam a much tougher fight and ultimately led to the takeover of South Vietnam by Norht Vietnam in 1975.

[vbmoneyspender]

eastern border = western border

[Uri’el-2012]

;-)

[rbmillerjr]

“Kennedy does not deserve the blame for putting half a million men in a counter-insurgency roles while the NVA invasion was allowed to continue unchecked. That was all LBJ and the “best and brightest” JFKers he retained.”

Absolutely. Johnson was a horse’s azz on domestic and foreign policy.

And my point regarding Kennedy, is not that he was perfect, but he was a supply sider and hardly a shrinking violet on the world stage.....compare that to todays Democrats, who are full fledged Marxists.

[Fiji Hill]

So JFK undermined the government of John Diefenbaker, a conservative and a strong US ally—just as he undermined the Adenauer government of Germany and Ngo Dinh Diem’s in South Vietnam. For the West, JFK’s legacy was abominable.

[TexasGator]

“Hell Kennedy was to the right of Reagan and Bush on foreign policy.”

ummm, Bay of Pigs .....

[Uri’el-2012]

They are Yankee rednecks with money; ill gotten money.

In my family circles they were known as "shanty Irish"
pretending to be "lace curtain" Irish.

[AnalogReigns]

The whole country on any number of issues was more conservative—and sensible—than the Baby Boomer controlled country, so of course Kennedy, and the Democrats were too.

You can bet though, had he lived....JFK would of become as liberal as his brother Ted became.

Liberalism is a progressive wasting disease....

[rbmillerjr]

That’s fair.

History shows he pussed out at the last minute.

But, he planned an invasion with US air support originally.

Could you see Reagan or Bush doing this in Cuba or Venezuela or Iran?

Reagan did take action in Grenada, once he knew Cuban military was there and US citizens wee being detained. But nothing on the scope of planning an invasion to free the Cuban people.

Bush Herbert Walker, did invade Panama, but this was due to US military personnel being shot after our man in Panama, Noriega, wouldn’t play ball.

So, yes invasion with US miltary, but provoked by armed assaults on our military in Panama.

Kennedy planned an invasion to rid a communist cancer from our Hemisphere. Now, don’t jump the gun, Reagan won the Cold War. I’m just saying, Kennedy was a Democrat...comparing him to our modern “hate America, espouse Socialism Dems of present day.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

RE: "Hell Kennedy was to the right of Reagan and Bush on foreign policy. He actually supported fighting for freedom everywhere and sent 15,000 advisers and Special Forces he invented just for Vietnam, to fight for freedom in Vietnam."

JFK wasn't quite that noble. He was mostly thinking about himself.

Why JFK picked Viet Nam. I believe it happened this way.

James "Scotty" Reston revealed this in 1966 IIRC.

The hapless Kennedy was savaged by Khrushchev in Vienna in 1961, especially over being chicken at the Bay of Pigs. So badly did JFK represent his Country that he asked for one more chance, a personal meeting with Khrushchev with only the two of them and two interpreters. JFK agreed to meet with Reston first after the meeting. This account is from, "Scotty," by John F. Stacks.

'How was it?' Reston asked casually.

'Worst thing in my life. He savaged me,' Kennedy responded. The president seemed to Reston to be almost in shock, repeating himself and speaking with astonishing candor to the journalist. 'Not the usual bullshit,' Reston wrote in his notepad. 'There is a look a man has when he has to tell the truth.' Kennedy went on to say that to counter the battering by Khrushchev, which he attributed to the Soviet leader's underestimation of Kennedy's resolve, the United States would have to stand more firmly against the Soviets' demands in Berlin and against the mounting Communist insurgency in South Vietnam. Reston wrote later that he was 'speechless' when Kennedy mentioned Vietnam, since that troubled country was at that point nowhere near the heart of the Cold War conflict and, in Reston's estimation, did not carry much weight in the superpower tug-of-war. Ever afterward, Kennedy's remark to Reston was seen by historians and by Reston himself as the moment marking the beginning of America's long slide into the tragedy of Vietnam." [End excerpt]

Yes sir, the JFK people took tens of thousands of Americans into war with the same "resolve" as they had at the Bay of Pigs.

Then LBJ took over caring more about his "Great Society" plans than any thing else including war -- fight the war but it must not in any way hinder getting his "Great Society." Lie, lie, lie whatever it takes. (see McMaster's. "Dereliction of Duty")

Not knowing this in 1961-62 I actually believed that Africa would be the place we'd confront the U.S.S.R.'s wars of liberation.

[TexasGator]

“But, he planned an invasion with US air support originally.”

Wrong. Eisenhower approved the project. Kennedy wimped out.

“Could you see Reagan or Bush doing this in Cuba or Venezuela or Iran?”

I will let Reagan’s and Bush’s record speak for themselves.

[PLD]

According to friends of Marilyn, a relationship developed between Marilyn and the two Kennedy brothers. She was believed to have had separate affairs with the two men simultaneously. Her relationships with Robert and John, unknown to the public, became the talk of Hollywood. Marilyn was often seen dancing or in intimate conversation at private parties with Bobby or John. According to her closest friends, her heart belonged to the elder brother, John.

IS THIS BETTER?I think you were the tattle teller at school so it made you look good..Is that so?

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/celebrity/marilyn_monroe/6.html

[rbmillerjr]

“Wrong. Eisenhower approved the project. Kennedy wimped out.”

Ike didn’t pull the trigger. Kennedy did, albeit with trying to do it half assed.

[TexasGator]

“Kennedy planned an invasion to rid a communist cancer from our Hemisphere. “

The action was planned by the CIA under Eisenhower. Kennedy was briefed on the mission Nov. 20, 1960.

[TexasGator]

Me: “Wrong. Eisenhower approved the project. Kennedy wimped out.”

You: Ike didn’t pull the trigger. Kennedy did, albeit with trying to do it half assed.

Ike would have but Kennedy was elected over Nixon. Kennedy pulled our support and doomed the mission.

[TexasGator]

“Kennedy did, albeit with trying to do it half assed.”

For which Che wrote him a thank you note!

[SkyPilot]

What did Kennedy do for the history of this country?

He got a BJ from Ellen Rometsch.

But then, so did Gerald Ford.

Sex in the Senate

"Ellen Rometsch was … as pretty as Elizabeth Taylor. … She was sort of like me. She’d come from Germany broke. She really loved oral sex. So any time – 90 percent of the people who give you money want to know if you can get them a date. I don’t give a damn who they are. They’re away from mama and their wives and they have a tremendous desire to party. … Bill Thompson [a lobbyist] … said [of Rometsch], ‘Baker, where did you get that good-looking woman? ... You think if I invited her to my apartment she’ll go to the White House and see President Kennedy?’ I said, ‘She would jump at the chance.’ So she went to the White House several times. And President Kennedy called me and said it’s the best head-job he’d ever had, and he thanked me….

Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2013/11/sex-in-the-senate-bobby-baker-99530.html?hp=t2_3