Despite the facts you listed about Kennedy’s flaws I believe what he accomplished by uniting the world for one event, by far outweighs his banging of the hottest chick ever (if she was hitting on you like she did to him in that birthday song, could you honestly have said no to her). He accomplished a feat that made history for mankind in the name of human exploration not for political conquest. As for the drugs; I believe he was a sick man with a lot of medical problems so as far as his addiction to pain killers…meh…could have been worse.

Vietnam, other than the fact that it made for some kick ass movies ideas and that a lot of soldiers where treated like shit when they came home I honestly don’t know enough about the situation to comment.

The Medias role can never be underestimated. Perception is the key, I will always perceive Kennedy as a peacemaker, explorer, and diplomat because that’s the only information that I was exposed to; but despite the government censorship of the details of his administration his message was clear…

” For the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the planets beyond, and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of freedom and peace. We have vowed that we shall not see space filled with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding. “

Who here can read or hear those words and not be inspired about what could be and not what is the direction we as a species are currently heading.