Gene Healy on Getting Past the John F. Kennedy Mythology

John F. Kennedy places near the top 10 in most
presidential ranking surveys of historians, and in a 2011 Gallup
poll, Americans ranked him ahead of George Washington in a list of
“America’s greatest presidents.” Kennedy’s murder was a national
tragedy, to be sure, but an honest assessment of his record shows
that our lawless and reckless 35th president was anything but a
national treasure. That may sound harsh, writes Gene Healy, but 50
years after his passing is not too soon to take a clear-eyed look
at JFK’s legacy.

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