“And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”
– President John F. Kennedy, in his inaugural address, January 20, 1961.
Where’s someone like Kennedy now? JFK has always been one of America’s greatest national treasures and my own personal hero. He served in the Navy as an intelligence officer during World War II and almost lost his life in the South Pacific. Yet, he came back and entered the political arena, dedicating the remainder of his years as a public servant. He was the youngest man elected president and the first to be born in the 20th century. His detractors – extremist conservatives who denounce Kennedy as a womanizer and a liberal and seem to relish in his brutal death – are too arrogant to realize he did more for this country in his short life than most other presidents. Kennedy had a vision that defied the conventional staid boundaries of national discourse. He single-handedly helped propel our country further into the future. Happy Birthday, Mr. Kennedy. Your optimism still lives.