Originally Posted by BDunnell
This I largely agree with. However...
My low opinion of Kennedy stems largely from the fact he was in no way the man he was/is made out to be, or made himself out to be. His foreign policy is a major reason for this. I mean, this was a man who was feted for his supposed commitment to Berlin in its time of need after 1961, yet who in reality did not truly care about the plight of the city. I wouldn't class it as an example of his being willing to accept defeat, but he was certainly prepared to acquiesce in the division of Berlin in 1961. Now, I am certain that a more 'hawkish' approach could have brought with it immense dangers, and the stance adopted probably turned out to be the right one. But making the generalisation that Kennedy was in some way a great Cold War warrior strikes me as not painting a true picture.
You do, if I may say so, throw the term around to far too great an extent, as though your opinion is the only one in town and that's an end to it. It's not an attractive trait. Seeing shades of grey, rather than black and white, seems not to be popular on the American right at present.