A Question of Character: A Life of John F. Kennedy

Thomas C. Reeves' fine book lays bare the myth of "Camelot"-which the Kennedy family and its sycophants have tried to perpetuate since the day he was shot-as well as the myths surrounding the entire family, which is perhaps the most dysfunctional family ever to achieve significant political power in American history. Fortunately, for America, the Kennedy family's last gasps of any political significance are being uttered by Ted Kennedy, who would probably be finishing his prison term now instead of serving in the U.S. Senate, for having been responsible for the death of Mary Jo Kopechne in 1969, just as she was about to celebrate her 29th birthday. Today, few young Americans even know who John F. Kennedy was-or care about him-because less than a handful of his positive accomplishments had any lasting significance. Like William McKinley, the fact that an assassin cut short Kennedy's life and presidency might be all that Americans recall about him 50 years from now. More than 40 years after Kennedy's death, the full extent of his life-long medical problems is still being withheld from the American people and conservative scholars, and Reeves recounts many of those problems. Kennedy launched this nation into Vietnam; and his secretary of defense, Robert McNamara, was the architect of that lost war and the enormous suffering that it produced. More than 50,000 brave Americans died, and it impaled this nation's honor on the horns of a tragedy that still haunts policy makers and citizens alike. Even before Vietnam, Kennedy was responsible for the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, where Fidel Castro humiliated him completely. This led to more than 40 years of enslavement for the Cuban people. The Cuban Missile Crisis, or Kennedy's confrontation with the Soviet Union, might have given rise to a nuclear winter. His reckless affairs with women were only outdone by his irresponsible and dangerous relationships with mobsters such as Chicago crime boss Sam Giancana. These two character flaws merged when both Kennedy and Giancana had sexual liaisons with Judith Campbell Exner, who was used as their go-between. Indeed, it is doubtful whether Kennedy would have become president in 1960 if the Mob had not helped him in Illinois and West Virginia-and Giancana claimed credit for that. Kennedy was the son of a bootlegger, and the apple did not fall far from the tree, with respect to the three Kennedy brothers who entered national politics. John F. Kennedy was not someone to look up to, much less deify. Many of us came to that conclusion reluctantly, years ago, with a sense of sadness rather than anger. Like the potentate in Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, "The Emperor's New Clothes," the myth about Kennedy and his feet of clay have become clear for all to see with the passage of time. Greatness is often achieved in times of war, and Kennedy never won the war with Cuba, much less the Vietnam War that he started, nor did he win the Cold War-wh

To those who want to get past the hype and drivel, Reeve's well written and researched book makes a convincing case that yes, character does matter. The argument that John Kennedy was a great, but flawed, leader is shown by Reeves to be erroneous. The seeds of the Bay of Pigs disaster was sown in Kennedy's youth. PT-109, interestingly, was the first and only PT boat ever rammed by an enemy destroyer. Not on a foggy night with the men topside, but in clear weather and daylight, with Kennedy and his men below decks sleeping and swapping war stories. "My story about the collision is getting better all the time," Kennedy told a friend after launching his political career. "Now I've got a Jew and a Nigg-- in the story and with me being a Catholic, that's great."Kennedy's bringing the U.S. to the brink of war was typical of the disasters he'd made in his personal and military life. The real reason the Soviets put missiles in Cuba was because of U.S. missiles in Turkey. School children are seldom taught that the U.S. had to withdraw its nukes from Turkey in exchange for the Soviets "backing down" in the Western Hemisphere.From the Kennedys' dealings with the mob to the wiretaps of Martin Luther King, Jr., the fact that Kennedy could not remain faithful in a marital relationship is hardly a dichotomy in leadership.So yes, Virginia, character does count. Now and in the latter part of the 1990s. Those who say it doesn't are probably also lacking in this area.

To those who want to get past the hype, Reeve's book makes a convincing case that yes, character does matter. The argument that John Kennedy was a great, but flawed, leader is shown by Reeves to be erroneous. The seeds of disaster in the Bay of Pigs was sown in Kennedy's youth. PT-109, interestingly, was the first and only PT boat ever rammed by an enemy destroyer. Not on a foggy night with the men topside, but in clear weather and daylight, with Kennedy and his men below decks sleeping and swapping war stories. "My story about the collision is getting better all the time," Kennedy told a friend after launching his political career. "Now I've got a ... and a ...-- in the story and with me being a Catholic, that's great."Kennedy's bringing the U.S. to the brink of war was typical of the disasters he'd made in his personal and military life. The real reason the Soviets put missiles in Cuba was because of U.S. missiles in Turkey. School children are seldom taught that the U.S. had to withdraw its nukes from Turkey in exchange for the Soviets "backing down" in the Western Hemisphere.From the Kennedys' dealings with the mob to the wiretaps of Martin Luther King, Jr., the fact that Kennedy could not remain faithful in a marital relationship is hardly a dichotomy in leadership.So yes, Virginia, character does count. Now and in the latter part of the 1990s. Those who say it doesn't are probably also lacking in this area.

The title of the book says it all, A Question of Character. This is one author's attempt at looking at the political life of President John F. Kennedy's, before and during his time in the White House. It details the differences in what the spin is and the private life that is described as being close to Hugh Hefner's. We also get a very detailed and for me, somewhat troubling, view of the constant controls his father, Joe Kennedy's had of JFK throughout his career. Not that comforting given the somewhat dubious reputation of Joe. The author came close to a Kitty Kelly sex scandal tell all, but did not completely let himself drop that low. I thought the author was almost sad to be telling me, the reader, some of the less then faltering truths here. Almost if he was a firm believer in Camelot and this book and research pained him. Overall this is a well-written book that has some interesting conclusions. The author could have spent more time on the domestic policies and international issues that faced JFK to make the account better rounded. I do not think it is the one-volume definitive story of JFK, but it is a very good start.

Reeves provides a probing analysis of the Kennedy presidency that challenges the warm and fuzzy imagery often associated with "Camelot." Reeves, an academic historian, has written a serious book that may turn off some casual readers. Yet this is the best analysis of John F. Kennedy's character and leadership style.