listerine411 t1_iurpvbt wrote
Kennedy also got the US into Vietnam. I'll never understand why he's so venerated.
Sex_E_Searcher t1_iusvsnt wrote
We have access to secret recordings from the White House during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Pretty much every one of Kennedy's cabinet, all older, more experienced men, were shit-talking him behind his back. All of them wanted him to escalate and bomb the island. Despite this, he stood his ground, avoided a potentially disastrous conflict and came out with a favorable conclusion to US interests.
Anglicanpolitics123 OP t1_ius9imv wrote
So I'm a little strange in the sense of I'm a fan of both the Cuban Revolution and Kennedy. In terms of JFKs veneration a large part of course is his assassination. In this sense ironically he's like Che because Ches death also gave him veneration status.
I would say despite mistakes like the bay of pigs and sending advisors to Vietnam JFK does deserve legitimate praise for his handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the test ban treaty, his moves on civil rights(late as they were) and other areas. It also should remember that JFKs vietnam policy was actually just a continuation of the Eisenhower policy.
listerine411 t1_iut768e wrote
He never lifted a finger on civil rights.
He has brother AG wiretap Martin Luther King. https://todayinclh.com/?event=ag-robert-kennedy-approves-wiretaps-on-martin-luther-king
FriendoftheDork t1_iuuzskm wrote
Never lifted a finger? He and his brother intervened when King was arrested and they lobbied to set him free from 6 months of prison.
The Kennedys did a lot for the civil rights movement, even if they were also blinded by their anti-communist sentiment at times.
https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/the-kennedys-and-civil-rights.htm
weedysexdragon t1_iushlhl wrote
Because he died. He’s bloody Kurt Cobain or James Dean.
Kered13 t1_iuv2nb3 wrote
Die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. Kennedy chose the first.
I-Make-Maps91 t1_iuxeovh wrote
The US war already in Vietnam, Kennedy escalated it.
listerine411 t1_iuz4nff wrote
No soldiers had been deployed to Vietnam until Kennedy, Eisenhower was adamant about that. Well documented. Eisenhower had no appetite to get the US into another war.
Kennedy got the US into Vietnam to show he was "tough" on Communism.
[deleted] t1_iuz9tk1 wrote
[removed]
I-Make-Maps91 t1_iuzadkc wrote
>November 1, 1955 — President Eisenhower deploys the Military Assistance Advisory Group to train the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. This marks the official beginning of American involvement in the war as recognized by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Why are you lying? We know when soldiers went into Vietnam, it was under Eisenhower.
listerine411 t1_iuzbi8n wrote
Advisors aren't ground troops, the US has advisors in every country. "In 1954, the French suffered a catastrophic defeat at Dien Bien Phu, bringing their colonial reign to an end. Some U.S. officials had pushed for air strikes, including the possible use of nuclear weapons, to save the French position. But Dwight D. Eisenhower, who succeeded Truman, demurred, refusing to involve the United States in another major conflict so soon after the Korean War."
https://www.history.com/news/us-presidents-vietnam-war-escalation
Kennedy is who threw the US into Vietnam.
Brush up on your history.
I-Make-Maps91 t1_iuzcung wrote
That's drawing a real fine line that I don't really see the need for.
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