From the desk of Jackie:
I just finished reading Killing Kennedy by Bill O’Reilly, a book which provides a fascinating, fast-paced look into the life and death of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The book opens with JFK’s presidential inauguration and highlights a number of significant events throughout his life. Prior to his presidency, the book discusses his service in the U.S. Navy and his successful 1946 campaign for U.S. Congress. Thereafter, it focuses on pivotal occurrences during his Presidency, such as the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban missile crisis, U.S. involvement in Vietnam, and the civil rights movement. The book also offers glimpses into the President’s private life, from time with his wife, Jackie, and children, Caroline and John, to less laudable time spent away from his wife and children and often in the company of other women. In sum, the book features the most crucial events that shaped JFK’s life, ending with his untimely death by two bullets shot by one Lee Harvey Oswald. Above all, O’Reilly’s book paints a picture of a charming, affable man of wealth and power who rose to prominence in American politics and captivated the American public.
In many ways, the glamorous life of John and Jackie Kennedy reminded me of our current President and First Lady, Barack and Michelle Obama. As the Kennedys partied with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, and Greta Garbo, so the Obamas socialize with Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, and Beyonce. John Kennedy was often noted for his boyish charm and good looks. Despite President Obama’s overwhelmingly-sized ears, many also find him attractive. Jackie Kennedy and Michelle Obama are both considered fashion icons of their respective times. Finally, Presidents Kennedy and Obama are both Democrats.
But, the similarities between the Kennedy and Obama presidencies may end there. For starters, their policies and governing styles are very different, despite their common party affiliation. In particular, one major incident of the Kennedy administration, discussed in Killing Kennedy, stuck out to me. In April 1961, a mere three months into JFK’s presidency, the United States coordinated the now infamous Bay of Pigs invasion, by which Cuban exiles would storm Cuba with hopes of overthrowing Communist tyrant Fidel Castro. Long story short, the invasion was a disaster. President Kennedy wavered on certain elements of the invasion, and he severely cut back on the number of bombings ordered to take place – a move which left those involved in the invasion with little protection or chance to succeed. Thanks to Kennedy’s decision to proceed with a poorly planned and executed invasion, at least 110 men died and more than 1,200 freedom fighters were captured and placed in Cuban prisons. The invasion was a complete failure. But, despite his blatantly misguided decision-making, President Kennedy did not make excuses. He did not claim ignorance or bad advice by staffers. He did not place the blame on low-level members of his administration. Instead, at a press conference shortly after the invasion, President Kennedy stated to the American people, “I am the responsible officer of the government.”
By contrast, today, the Obama administration is apparently willing to do anything but take responsibility as it is plagued by endless scandals, errors in judgment, and flagrant abuses of power. In the past couple of weeks, this antipathy to accountability has become even more obvious as Benghazi, the IRS, and the AP scandals all come to the forefront of the action on Capitol Hill and in the media. More than eight months after the ruthless terror attack on our embassy in Benghazi, Libya, and we still have no clear answers as to which government officials are to blame for this security failure. The Obama administration first blames a YouTube video, then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and then simply decides to distance itself altogether with statements like “What difference does it make?” Meanwhile, Congressional hearings have been taking place in this IRS scandal, by which it has come to light that the IRS has been targeting conservative groups. In this ongoing investigation, outgoing acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller answers all questions in the vein of “I don’t know” or “I can’t remember.” Former IRS Commission Douglas Shulman beats around the bush – when asked why he met with President Obama in the White House over 100 times, Shulman responded that he may have been at the While House for the “Easter Egg Roll” with his children. And, the worst of all, Lois Lerner, the former head of the IRS division involved in this unfair targeting, has decided to invoke her Fifth Amendment right and refuse to testify whatsoever. It should be noted that Lerner pled the Fifth only after reading a written statement in which she claimed her innocence. (How convenient.) In the AP scandal, in which the Department of Justice seized phone records of various Associated Press reporters, the Obama administration has claimed that the move was all in the name of national security. Any merit to this unlikely statement remains to be seen.
Failing to take responsibility is nothing new to the Obama administration. The President and his henchmen never owned up to their shameful involvement in Operation Fast and Furious, the gun-walking scheme by which firearms were trafficked into Mexico. Fast and Furious resulted in the death of American Border Patrol agent Brian Terry. Rather than addressing this massive and fatal failure, President Obama invoked his executive privilege. Similarly, when the Obama administration blew over $500 million of taxpayer dollars on a loan to doomed green energy company, Solyndra, President Obama refused to acknowledge his risky decision after the company went bankrupt. The administration claimed that Solyndra was granted the loan based on merit alone, but a paper trail reveals that Solyndra scored the unwarranted loan thanks to their insider status with top government officials, including President Obama.
This litany of scandals and failures under the Obama administration is troubling. It seems that President Obama is completely unwilling to be honest with the American people. This is all a stark contrast to President Kennedy’s response following the botched Bay of Pigs invasion. Without hesitation, President Kennedy took the blame for his own poor decisions. He believed in being honest with the American people, and he believed in being held accountable by the American people. In so doing, President Kennedy remained faithful to his duties as President and to the oath that he took on January 20, 1961. While it seems unlikely at this stage in the game, I would hope that President Obama and his staff can have the decency to do the same. It is a matter of course that things will go wrong during a presidential term. Such failures may be simple mistakes, or they may be the result of more sinister behavior. Either way, it is imperative that government officials respect both their leadership roles and the American people by being honest and transparent. There is no such respect when these officials dodge questions, defect blame, and avoid responsibility. President Kennedy was by no means a perfect President, but he certainly fulfilled his duty to be held accountable for his actions. It would serve the current administration well if President Obama did the same and perfected yet another similarity with President Kennedy. The only thing worse than governmental failure is the subsequent failure to take responsibility.
Filed under: Books, Current Events, J, Politics Tagged: America, AP, Associated Press, Bankrupt, Barack Obama, Bay of Pigs, Benghazi, Beyonce, Bill O'Reilly, Border Patrol, Brian Terry, Capitol Hill, Caroline Kennedy, Communism, Communist, Congress, Congressional Hearing, Cuba, Cuban Missile Crisis, Democrat, Department of Justice, DOJ, Douglas Shulman, Easter Egg Roll, Fast and Furious, Fidel Castro, Fifth Amendment, Frank Sinatra, Government, Government Loan, Greta Garbo, Hillary Clinton, Internal Revenue Service, IRS, Jackie Kennedy, Jackie O, Jay-Z, JFK, John F. Kennedy Jr., John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Justin Timberlake, Killing Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, Libya, Lois Lerner, Marilyn Monroe, Mexico, Michelle Obama, Military, Nikita Kruschev, Oath of Office, party, Plead the Fifth, Politics, President Kennedy, President Obama, Republican, Russia, Self-Incrimination, Solyndra, Soviet Union, Steven Miller, Terrorism, terrorist attack, U.S. Navy, United States, USSR, YouTube 
