The Political Life of John F. Kennedy
I have a rendezvous with Death
At some disputed barricade,
When Spring comes back with rustling shade
And apple-blossoms fill the air--
I have a rendezvous with Death
When Spring brings back blue days and fair.
(Seeger)
John F. Kennedy had an innate sense that his life on this earth would be brief. This stanza from his favorite poem seems to summarize how he felt about his impending fate. He had good reason to feel this way. All his life he was plagued by well-hidden pains and illness; afflictions so severe, the Catholic last rites that were administered to him many times throughout his life. Despite these obstacles, Kennedy managed to make the most of his life. As a Congressman and a Senator, he shaped our foreign policy, and finally as President he staved off apocalyptic doom, inspired a generation into public service and set the wheels into motion that would land the first man on the moon. I feel that his greatest political accomplishments are those of foreign policy, specifically his part in the cold war. By the time he took the oath of office, “The Iron Curtain” had descended as the world came to know two world powers: The United States and The Soviet Union. Kennedy battled the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev on several fronts and in the end came out on top.
At some disputed barricade,
When Spring comes back with rustling shade
And apple-blossoms fill the air--
I have a rendezvous with Death
When Spring brings back blue days and fair.
(Seeger)
John F. Kennedy had an innate sense that his life on this earth would be brief. This stanza from his favorite poem seems to summarize how he felt about his impending fate. He had good reason to feel this way. All his life he was plagued by well-hidden pains and illness; afflictions so severe, the Catholic last rites that were administered to him many times throughout his life. Despite these obstacles, Kennedy managed to make the most of his life. As a Congressman and a Senator, he shaped our foreign policy, and finally as President he staved off apocalyptic doom, inspired a generation into public service and set the wheels into motion that would land the first man on the moon. I feel that his greatest political accomplishments are those of foreign policy, specifically his part in the cold war. By the time he took the oath of office, “The Iron Curtain” had descended as the world came to know two world powers: The United States and The Soviet Union. Kennedy battled the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev on several fronts and in the end came out on top.