[Restorer]

In the last hundred years, only FDR and JFK have enjoyed the type of overwhelming support that George Bush has received since Sept. 11th.

I don't Mr. Hawkins' strong suit is history. There have been other wildly popular presidents. Notably Teddy Roosevelt and Warren G. Harding.

Also my understanding is that JFK's enormous popularity was mostly posthumous and retrospective.

[nopardons]

You are quite correct about JFK. Now, THERE was a " failed " presidency. He went to Dallas, because he was going to lose that state, and faced losing his bid for re-elecetion ... badly ! He had loused up quite a nuber of things, the steel strike had the Unions against him, a lot of the voters against him, and until he was shot, his poll numbers were NOT all that good. It actually took years of lies and propaganda , as well as Bobby being murdered, for the " CAMELOT " garbage, started by Jackie, and spread by E.B. White , to catch on.

[Ole Okie]

Also my understanding is that JFK's enormous popularity was mostly posthumous and retrospective.

You're right.

JFK (that's NOT John Fitzgerald Kerry) was carrying the onus of the failed Bay of Pigs debacle and the very scary Cuban Missle debacle on his shoulders. He wasn't particularly popular. In fact, the most popular part of JFK's presidensity was Vaughn Meader's LP, "First Family".

With another election campaign coming up, JFK and Jackie were in Texas to try to shore up his standing there when the assassination happened.