An Unfinished Life by Robert Dallek

In my never ending quest to read history I have finished An Unfinished Life Robert Dallek's biography of John Kennedy. Dallek is a very good biographer and he does a very good job with him. Reading the biography one is amazed at the different times we live in. We all have heard the stories of Kennedy's womanizing which was by all accounts excessive. The book tells us all in great detail the consistent health issues that he fought his whole life. Many things are amazing about his life, perhaps the most amazing is that he was able to perform the heroic deeds he did in WWII after his PT boat capsized. Physically this was an amazing feat for him.

As a political figure JFK was without doubt extremely overrated. His time in the House and the Senate was in almost all cases uneventful. Running for President he was an attractive candidate, well spoken and a great contrast to Nixon and this helped him get elected. His father's money did not hurt either.

As President he walked a tight line. His civil rights approach was an exercise in keeping the lid on and affecting change when he had no other choice. there were great political risks for him and then, as now, the main purpose of the first term was to make sure one was reelected for a second one. This being the case still today makes one wonder if one six year term would not be a better answer.

Kennedy's handling of foreign policy was good and bad and unknowable as to where it would have ended up. His policy on Cuba was not successful and may have led to his death. His negotiations with Kruschev were good once at the brink, but perhaps the brink over the Cuban Missile Crisis was caused by him. Kennedy had clear visions of not getting deep into Vietnam yet his political considerations over being accused of losing Vietnam let him start the process. Perhaps the greatest loss of his death was that one can assume or hope that in a second term Kennedy might have pulled our advisors out of Vietnam. Johnson. still in his first own term did not have the luxury of not worrying about a second term. The irony is that term is one he did not seek because of Vietnam.

The book is well written and one I very much enjoyed.