Memo to Obama: "Kennedy Talked, Khrushchev Triumphed" (New York Times)

Parent Cafe
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<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/22/opinion/22thrall.html?hp[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/22/opinion/22thrall.html?hp&lt;/a&gt; </p>

<p>An interesting reminder of history that happened just before my earliest memories.</p>

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<p>I read that story and it seems as though those quotes from JFK are WAY out of context. Anyways, the whole premise behind the story is stupid because, looking at how things are today, it’s rather apparent that JFK acted correctly.</p>

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<p>This is published in the opinion section and written by a student.</p>

<p>Lots of highly debatable comments.</p>

<p>It is an incorrect accounting of history - not a reminder.</p>

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<p>How can you say he acted correctly. It led directly to a near war condition. I was around then and many thought we were a couple days from all out war.</p>

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<p>I think knocking down the Berlin Wall was a better idea than building it.</p>

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<p>Newjack…</p>

<p>Did you forget about the Cuban Missile Crisis when you stated

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<p>Just imagine right now Missiles aimed at America less than 90 miles…he spoke to Kruschev prior to the Russians taking their vacation in Cuba…Vienna Summet was 61 and the Crisis was 62…Are you willing to risk repeating history with Ahlmindejad, b/c I am not, my family means more to me than playing a game of chicken with a looneytune</p>

<p>This is a direct quote from Kennedy regarding the Vienna Summit

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<p>What? No criticism of President Eisenhower for talking to the Soviet leaders in a summit in Geneva in July of 1955? Why do we not condemn Reagan for talking to Gorbachev? Or Nixon with the Chinese? </p>

<p>Why is it okay for Republican presidents to meet and negotiate with their enemies but bad judgment for Democratic presidents to do the same?</p>

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<p>AS far as Reagan lets remember he did not sit with Breznev (sp?) he only started talks with Gorbachev with pre-conditions Russia was also a SUPER POWER…last time I checked Cuba wasn’t a super power and Obama had stated he would nott ask for pre-conditions.</p>

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<p>Maybe Eisenhower made a mistake too. Maybe talking doesn’t always lead to worthwhile results.</p>

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<p>There is wide consensus among historians as well members of the Kennedy administration that Kennedy’s summit with Khrushchev was an unmitigated disaster for the United States, and that it emboldened Khrushchev to make mischief. I am old enough to remember the bomb shelter in our basement and the fear that existed at the time of the Cuban missile crisis. This opinion piece is an accurate accounting of history. Obama’s belief that the Kennedy-Khrushchev summit is an argument in favor of his plan for unconditional presidential level meetings with adversaries suggests an ignorance of history and a naiveté that is frightening.</p>

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<p>bulletandpima:
The only way you can argue against my point is if you believe that the past does affect the present/future and that events happen independently of one another.</p>

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<p>Also for coureur: Obama put this particular incident in play, by appealing to it as a precedent for his planned behavior, which is why there is a New York Times guest editorial about what happened in the Kennedy administration back when I was a tot.</p>

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<p>“I am old enough to remember the bomb shelter in our basement and the fear that existed at the time of the Cuban missile crisis. This opinion piece is an accurate accounting of history. Obama’s belief that the Kennedy-Khrushchev summit is an argument in favor of his plan for unconditional presidential level meetings with adversaries suggests an ignorance of history and a naiveté that is frightening.”</p>

<p>I am old enough to remember it, also. I also remember the Weapons of Mass Destruction, color code alerts, and many other scare tactics.</p>

<p>Regarding Eisenhower, he played the country around the USSR and Sputnik in a very similar way to the above topics. He released a lot of misinformation.</p>

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<p>The ONE thing I shall never forgive Ike–the American soldiers he left to rot to death in North Korean prisons, KNOWING they were there and who at least some of them were, but listing them as “missing in action,” in cases where “captured by the enemy” would have been more accurate.</p>

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<p>FarmDad - post 10 - agree. Well said.</p>

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<p>100% true, yet some on this board are so blinded by their partisanship that they cannot budge one inch on any subject they’re wrong on if it will in any way shape or form hurt their candidate.</p>

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<p>I have to agree with McCain…what is he going to ask Raul Castro when he sits down with him? Does he expect Raul to say if you lift the embargo we will have free elections? Isn’t it naive to believe that a country who has endured 40 yrs of an embargo will all the sudden say we get it and are willing to follow your lead? </p>

<p>What is he going to say to Ahlmendinjad to make him change his mind about the US. Please remember this is a guy who stated that there are no gays in IRAN! How do you talk to a person like that and make a dent in his belief. Also Ahlmendinjad hates jews, believes women are inferior…do you think he does not believe he is better than African American? How do you rationalize talking to him.</p>

<p>I agree with McCain, he isn’t going to talk to him, and I think that any President thinks long and hard about sending troops into battle, I just believe McCain will think a lot longer and harder than he is being given credit for</p>

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<p>“I am old enough to remember it, also. I also remember the Weapons of Mass Destruction, color code alerts, and many other scare tactics.”</p>

<p>I’m not sure what your point is. Are you saying that the Soviets didn’t actually place missiles on Cuba, or that the fear of nuclear war during the cold war was only the product of government scare tactics?</p>

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<p>FarmDad #18, my point was:</p>

<p>1.Who knows what to believe?</p>

<p>2.I have better things to think about than government scare tactics</p>

<p>3.I have been around long enough to be skeptical of news reports.</p>

<p>4.That article was written to smear Obama. Khruschchev was a shill for the USSR. His dealings with Kennedy aren’t relevant to the world today.</p>

<p>5.What happened to Gorbachev, the tearing down of the Berlin War, the end of the Cold War? </p>

<p>6.Why criticize Obama for attempting to restore a peace process? Do you expect detente in any form will occur with embargos and no interaction?
Will peace occur by mental telepathy across the seas? </p>

<p>7.Do you really think Obama is so naive to not understand all that is involved in solving the world’s problems? Would he be where he is today if he was so naive? NO, NO, NO!</p>

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<p>I know better than to believe that.</p>