It's Not a New JFK We Need in Obama, But the Next Gorbachev

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By Russ Wellen (about the author) Page 1 of 2 page(s)

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For OpEdNews: Russ Wellen - Writer

Did John F. Kennedy ride the winds of change into office or was he the "wind beneath our wings?" Either way, his election signified that, back on firm peace-time footing after President Eisenhower's two terms, America was ready to move ahead with "great vigah."

With his uplifting oratory and youthful good looks, Barack Obama has drawn comparisons to Kennedy. Nor has he been quick to disabuse us of the notion that he can recover JFK's fallen torch.

For instance, in the spirit of JFK's legendary challenge to "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country," Barack issued a "call to serve" back in July.

Describing we Americans as "our greatest resource -- not our bombs, guns, or dollars," he promised to increase national service opportunities if elected. He'd double the size of the Peace Corps and expand the AmeriCorps program. Also, he'd create a Craigslist-like network to connect volunteers, including retirees, with opportunities for service.

The first to make the "linkage [between Kennedy and Obama] explicit and [give] it official sanction," according to the Telegraph of London was, Kennedy's chief speechwriter and long-time associate, Theodore Sorensen.

"Mr Kennedy reached the hearts of voters," said Sorensen. "And so does Obama."

He gave short shrift to the "experience" question that dogs Obama. "Judgment is the single most important criterion for selecting a president. . ." which, Sorensen continued, Obama "demonstrated in his position against the Iraq war even before it started."

It's one thing when a non-politician who also happens to be Caroline Kennedy, weighs in with a New York Times oped this Sunday bearing the none-too-subtle title, "< A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/opinion/27kennedy.html">A President Like My Father."

"I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them," she writes. "I believe I have found the man who could be that president."

But it's another when experienced Washington hands like not only Sorensen but Gregory Craig, one of Bill Clinton's impeachment lawyers, who might logically be expected to support Hillary, are swept away by Obama.

"The election of Obama will not only change the players in Washington," Sorensen said. "It'll change the game itself."

Hold on there, old-timer. That's light years beyond what the election of Kennedy, who was more of a walking, talking zeitgeist than a man with a plan, accomplished. In fact, what Sorensen is conjuring up sounds more like a new Mikhail Gorbachev.

Gorbachev? A Russian leader? Not the Gorbachev who dragged his feet on withdrawing from Afghanistan and who, aside from freeing high-profile dissidents, failed to inspire with his record on human rights.

But the Gorbachev of glasnost (government transparency and freedom of information) and perestroika (restructuring of the economy). As well as the Gorbachev who yielded to the Eastern bloc's nations to determine their own affairs.

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