Kennedy talked, Khruschev triumphed - 21/10/08

From Buck on October 21st, 2008

Kennedy Talked, Khruschev Triumphed - NYTimes Oped.


From Brent on October 22nd, 2008

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php

Part of my argument that our priorities are skewered. I would like to see the average/median salaries of our politicians...

Funny, but very very sad.

From Buck on October 22nd, 2008

Haha, that is funny.


From Brent on October 22nd, 2008

Hmm.

I don't want to offend you in rebuttal of that article, so I'm forewarning you that:
a) the arguments I present are not necessarily my own, but rather are for the purpose of debate, and
b) you are probably going to take offense to what follows, but I assure you it is unintentional.

"Senior American statesmen like George Kennan advised Kennedy not to rush into a high-level meeting, arguing that Khrushchev had engaged in anti-American propaganda..."

Both sides "engaged" in propaganda aimed at their adversaries, so this argument is irrelevant.

"...as Khrushchev lectured him on the hypocrisy of American foreign policy, ..."

As he should. American foreign policy is notoriously hypocritical. Since the days it was founded and right up to today, it is and always has been a self serving policy disguised as a selfless one. I have no problem with people looking out for themselves, just don't tell me your doing something for my benefit, then rape me for your own gain, and then continue saying you are helping. And I am aware why they have to present it that way, otherwise their own population (hopefully) would resist such blatant aggression. But I digress ...

"Khrushchev's aide, after the first day, said the American president seemed "very inexperienced, even immature." Khrushchev agreed, noting that the youthful Kennedy was "too intelligent and too weak." The Soviet leader left Vienna elated — and with a very low opinion of the leader of the free world.

Kennedy's assessment of his own performance was no less severe. Only a few minutes after parting with Khrushchev, Kennedy, a World War II veteran, told James Reston of The New York Times that the summit meeting had been the "roughest thing in my life." Kennedy went on: "He just beat the hell out of me. I've got a terrible problem if he thinks I'm inexperienced and have no guts. Until we remove those ideas we won't get anywhere with him."

So what I am understanding here is that Kennedy sucked as a diplomat (at least in comparison to Krushchev) and that because of this the Soviet leader started testing the limits of the Kennedy administration, by building the Berlin Wall and putting nuclear missiles in Cuba.

The flip side to this is that the US had plenty of nuclear missiles dispersed throughout the globe, if not under their own control then under satellite states, that were very close to Russia. Of course, no mention of this in the article. It's dangerous if the enemy moves near us, but it is necessary for us to be near them.

Also, the Soviet Union was a rival for global super power at the time, and it would be ridiculous to even compare Iran or Pakistan, or any Middle Eastern country for that matter, to the USSR. No comparison. And the US /USSR rivalry had been on going for a couple decades at this point and both sides were hardened.

And Pam just asked if I was writing you a love note.

To which I said, "Hells yeah."