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7/06/00 9:40 a.m.
Clinton's No Jack Kennedy
The president's legacy will look vapid next to JFK's.

Robert A. George is an editorial page writer
for the New York Post------------------------------------RAGGEDmail@aol.com

ny man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction, 'I served in the United States Navy.'"

Engraved on the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier, are the words of the 35th president from August 1963. They are words that were not too far from where the current occupant of the White House stood as he observed the parade of tall ships in New York Harbor on the Fourth of July.

The day before, several members of the press visited both the Kennedy and the amphibious assault vessel, the U.S.S. Nassau. Standing on the boarding deck of the Kennedy, one journalist noted the inscription dedicated to the former President and said, "Can you imagine Clinton ever saying that?" Without missing a beat, his colleague replied, "Sure, I can imagine Clinton saying anything at anytime to anyone." The first journalist nodded, adding, "But don't you get the feeling that at least Kennedy meant it?"

Less than twenty-four hours later, President Clinton stood on the deck of the Kennedy to view the parade of tall ships and warships that combined for OpSail 2000 and the International Naval Review 2000. The president took the opportunity to wax philosophic about the importance of immigrants to the American story. His words were "nice," but after all this time, does anyone really believe that any substance lies behind them.

At this point, how much Bill Clinton has debased his office is a banal topic. Seeing OpSail 2000 and reading President Kennedy's motto inscribed on the ship that is now his namesake forces yet another reassessment of the nation's 35th president. Clinton may idolize JFK, but he lands far short of the man. History has been justifiably tough on Kennedy. The endless affairs were bad enough, but the specific liaisons with mob-connected mistresses tarnished his reputation as many people recognized how truly reckless the man could be. The details of what actually happened on PT-109 are still open to speculation. Add up the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Bay of Pigs and the early incursions in Vietnam and there's more than enough reason to criticize Jack Kennedy.

At the same time, the legitimate influence should not be underestimated. It's easy to dismiss the Camelot myth as an invention and a continuing mania by a liberal press. That argument has a certain amount of validity to that. But, one thing that should not be taken away from Kennedy is that his vision and rhetoric had a substance that resonates today.

The statement, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country," seems almost foreign in today's self-centered era. Yet, the statement is an ideal to which Americans still aspire.

Kennedy, the life-long sailor, first came up with the idea for "Operation Sail" shortly after he was inaugurated. It became a reality in 1964.

When Ronald Reagan told the Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall," the spirit of Kennedy declaring "Ich bin ein Berliner" floated in the ether. Of course, by avoiding any German phrases, Reagan's quote was both grammatically correct and did not accidentally turn him into a donut.

It was Kennedy who declared that America could put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Again, that vision became a reality. Today, as water is discovered on Mars and there is talk about a manned expedition going to the fourth planet, the spirit of Kennedy remains.

These examples show that in the hands of the right men — at the right time — rhetoric can be a good thing. Rhetoric has a substance in and of itself. When it appeals to the imagination and the better angels of a people, rhetoric can have a life that long outlasts an individual speaker.

As much as Bill Clinton models himself after JFK, is there anything he has ever said that will be remembered decades from now? Well, yes, there is, and we all know what the phrase is. But, is there anything that Clinton has said that will inspire people generations from now? For all of his many faults, John F. Kennedy still manages to inspire. It is because there is a sense that regardless of how reckless he might have been, he still loved his country enough to create an image of a bold nation willing to make sacrifices in pursuit of a better future. In hindsight, he may have been as naive publicly as he was irresponsible privately.

But considering that Kennedy's words of patriotism and promise still manage to inspire America, they suggest that a measure of the man's greatness may be rightfully deserved. And, in comparison, Bill Clinton may eventually realize that his legacy is as empty and vapid as his own words.

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