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COLUMNISTS
TODAY'S STORIES
09.07.2008
AUDIO: TNR Editor Praises Nixon, Calls JFK 'Insecure.'

With Obama taking fire for reframing his position on Iraq, and pundits like E.J. Dionne, Jr. and The Democratic Strategist warning against "getting trapped into the 'I'll bomb, too' Democratic wannabe role," it's worth taking a look back at history.

In this audio interview with E.J Dionne, Jr. TNR executive editor Peter Scoblic takes a look back at the genesis of the Democratic "me too" impulse, during the post-McCarthy era of the early 1960s--contrasting Nixon's willingness to take his own road on foreign policy with Kennedy's constant fear of being labeled an appeaser.

--Barron YoungSmith

Posted: Wednesday, July 09, 2008 11:55 AM with 1 comment(s)

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thejauntyboulevardier said:

Interesting counter intuition...

I just finished David Halberstam's The Coldest Winter - great read btw - and he did an excellent job of describing how, after China went Commie in 49, the GOP, still smarting from the disasterous 5th straight Presidential loss in 48, glommed onto the "Who lost China" issue, which segued nicely into McCarthy and the pan application and fear of Dems of being labeled "appeasers" or worse, "traitors". So, generally, within the hot political Cold War milieu, I would agree that JFK was operating from a political  "insecurity" but it is laughable to say that of the two men, Nixon and JFK, the former was more "secure" of his ideas and worldview than the latter. That truly would be counter factual historiography.

July 9, 2008 12:05 PM