Posted on 11/20/2013 6:46:51 AM PST by 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."
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalnewswatch.com ...
“JFK wasn’t quite that noble. He was mostly thinking about himself.”
Noble? I’ve seen enough to put that word away when talking about nearly every politician, especially on the conservative side.
Liberals/Socialists...many of them actually fight for their principles and will do anything to win.
No. Kennedy was not the Liberal Socialist view of Camelot. He was the opposite. But he came from a different set of values than our present day Dem/Socialist/Communists.
He saw the Berlin Wall, Vietnam, and Cuba as good vs. evil fights. He knew the coercive nature of Khrushchev’s Soviet Russia. He saw the brute for of it up close and personal.
At the same time little brother Bobby was in now way, ideologically, like his older brother, and eventual killer and Socialist Teddy.
Care to trade two Clintons and an Obama for a John Kennedy. I’d give my left peanut for that trade.
I’ve read that Joe DiMaggio thought the Kennedys had Marilyn killed—apparently Joe and Marilyn were about to remarry at the time of her death.
LOL...great stuff.
Dems love their head.
If he was all that how come Khrushchev made an ass of him and he had to find some way to save his manhood?
If he hadn't been doped-up or whatever his problem was when he met Khrushchev the events in VN would likely to have been entirely different.
.. and yes the Democrat Party of Kennedy is no longer.. the 1960's Marxist-Alinksy campus radical, psycho spoiled brats took over the Party in the 1970s.
Speechifying is what Dems do.
Obama/Clinton both blatherers that convinced millions how wonderful they were. Both blatherers and both liars.
JFK was way overblown. Weak on communism which encouraged Russia and led to Vietnam.
Are you democrat worshipers now saying that JFK "invented" the Army Special Forces?
Are you kidding? The weak, incompetent, arrogant fool, gave us the Berlin Wall, Vietnam, and Cuba, now you democrat worshipers want to make his disasters his victories?
Yet you want to want to attack Reagan, the man who ended the Cold War.
Some claim it came from JFK's youth. A private school refrain: ". . . the youth who loves his Alma Mater will always ask not 'what can she do for me? but 'what can I do for her?'"
“If he was all that how come Khrushchev made an ass of him and he had to find some way to save his manhood?”
I take it from the Reston report, which is unconfirmed, that Kennedy was in shock at the intensity and brazenness of Khrus.
“If he hadn’t been doped-up or whatever his problem was when he met Khrushchev the events in VN would likely to have been entirely different.”
What is your perspective on that? I don’t see any linkage at all to their meeting.
“Are you democrat worshipers now saying that JFK “invented” the Army Special Forces?”
In the form that that we presently know US Army Special Forces, absolutely. Kennedy increased the numbers, jacked up the funding and did it specifically for counter insurgency and training other country’s military. More specifically, he did if for Vietnam.
...”Forrest Lindley, a writer for the newspaper Stars and Stripes who served with Special Forces in Vietnam said of Kennedy’s authorization: “It was President Kennedy who was responsible for the rebuilding of the Special Forces and giving us back our Green Beret. People were sneaking around wearing [them] when conventional forces weren’t in the area and it was sort of a cat and mouse game. Then Kennedy authorized the Green Beret as a mark of distinction, everybody had to scramble around to find berets that were really green. We were bringing them down from Canada. Some were handmade, with the dye coming out in the rain”.[31]
“Special Forces have a special bond with Kennedy, going back to his funeral. At the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of JFK’s death, General Michael D. Healy, the last commander of Special Forces in Vietnam, spoke at Arlington Cemetery. Later, a wreath in the form of the Green Beret would be placed on the grave, continuing a tradition that began the day of his funeral when a sergeant in charge of a detail of Special Forces men guarding the grave placed his beret on the coffin—
As to your Democrat worshiper comment, I’ll just advise you to go back some cookies, sweetie.
I don’t know why you would worship a lefty hero so much as to claim that he “invented” the Army Special Forces, who’s roots are in the OSS and who were formally formed in 1952, were well established and well used, before your scum bag became president.
The Rangers first wore their black beret, then Special Forces adopted their green beret, and then in the 1960s JFK gave formal authorization for the hat, which gave democrat worshipers yet another myth, that JFK “invented” the Army Special forces.
A democrat worshiper looks for any bone he can find, and then strives to blow it up into yet another democrat worshiping myth of heroic perportions.
“I don’t know why you would worship a lefty hero so much as to claim that he “invented” the Army Special Forces, who’s roots are in the OSS and who were formally formed in 1952, were well established and well used, before your scum bag became president.”
You are an overly emotional cookie baker.
Giving Kennedy credit for believing in tax cuts to spur the economy, which he did, and his role in redirecting US Special Forces toward third world counter insurgency operations, primarily in Vietnam....are good things. He attempted to assist Vietnam in fighting the communists. He massively increased Special Forces into the region.
And they are fact.
Just because he has a D in front of his name, doesn’t negate these facts. But I suppose because McCain and Romney have Rs in front of their names they are great Republicans.
I would take Kennedy over either one.
Notice the first thing this democrat worshiper did, on a thread about a lefty hero trying to move Canada to the left.
He jumps on the thread and posts to “ALL” what a great hero JFK was and superior to a real foreign policy expert, perhaps the greatest in history, Reagan.
This guy wanted to hijack what could be an informative thread on the foreign policy disaster called JFK, and protect the myth.
What do you mean by unconfirmed? Don't you even have the courtesy to read replies and sources provided?
RE: What is your perspective on that? I don’t see any linkage at all to their meeting.
JFK Took Many Drugs for Secret Health Problems - ABC News abcnews.go.com › GMA President John F. Kennedy's medical records reveal that he had suffered health problems since childhood, and used an arsenal of drugs, including painkillers ...
google: John F. Kennedy drugs
I am not going to argue the drug issue.. that was indeed my and others' opinion vis-a-vis Vienna.. but the events at Vienna are well documented by James "Scotty" Reston.
Now you provide sources that Reston was lying or simply wrong.
So, I take it you wold prefer to have Socialists Clinton and Obama over Kennedy, who was a supply side tax cutter and strong on defense and fighting communism?
Ansell, by her own logic is a Socialist RINO.
Not really, just incapable of having a rational discussion or seeing anything not in the lense of D and R.
We were having a rational debate, with difference of opinion.
You start name-calling like the little girl that you are. Now, I like oatmeal with raisin.
“What do you mean by unconfirmed? Don’t you even have the courtesy to read replies and sources provided?”
I have plenty of courtesy and little time as I work from home on my computer.
By unconfirmed, I meant that it was an exclusive between both Reston and Kennedy. Not commenting on his honesty, just that there is no way to get Kennedy’s perspective of that meeting.
So your source that Reston could have lied or simply had been wrong is your opinion? OK. Good enough.
That was an insanely nutty rambling post.
It makes it clear that you just wanted to hijack this thread about Canada and JFK, and anything will do.
Please quote me where you think that I said Reston lied or was wrong.
You can’t. Because I didn’t.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.