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The Kennedys
Aug. 29th, 2009 06:15 pmI wasn't exactly brought up to spit after saying John F. Kennedy's name, but pretty close. Both my parents, and especially my father, were more socially liberal than many people with their upbringing, but they had some distrust of a Catholic holding high office (fear that the Pope would end up having a say in US policy for those of you who are baffled).
None of this was helped by my parents hearing the phone ring on June 1, 1961, as they were bringing me home from the hospital. My dad had orders (and the only other man with these orders from the same base had adopted his child less than a month earlier) to Viet Nam as one of the original advisors. After five weeks of language school, Dad was shipped off. He returned about two weeks before my first birthday. The story of me walking out on the tarmac holding my arms up to any man in a uniform and saying "Daddy?" is either heartbreaking or hilarious depending on the perspective.
So. Not fond of JFK. (Even less fond of Robert McNamara architect of our Southeast Asian foray.)
We were in Britain when Robert Kennedy was making his run for office. The first newspaper story I ever read was the news of his assassination in The Times. I wanted to know why that man had a funny look on his face, so I read the article.
But still, we weren't as a family, Kennedy fans.
This changed in 1976. When my father returned from his third tour in Viet Nam on March 25, 1975, several things happened that made him want to stay away from the Pentagon for awhile. He applied to be a Congressional Fellow and was the first military officer to do so. I believe there's only been one since. (Every year lots of officers apply to be White House Fellows and every year a few make it. I would think more would be interested in the Congressional side, if only because Congress approves the budget.)
He worked for five months for Gillis Long of Alexandria Parish in Louisiana on the House side and nearly seven months for Charles Percy of Illinois on the Senate side. During that time, Dad developed a profound respect for Ted Kennedy as an opponent, an ally, and a man.
Kennedy's people nearly always won their point because they were always, Dad says, the best prepared people in the room. In later years, Dad would make certain the officers serving under him were the best prepared people in any room they were in -- and he always acknowledged learning it from Kennedy's team.
Kennedy himself was charming. He spoke to other Senators privately and quietly before any meetings and smoothed over ruffled feathers as soon as the meeting were over. He used humor when he could and strong arm tactics only if he had to.
Whole books, fiction and nonfiction, have been written about great leaders of the Senate. The seniority system gives them clout. Representatives rarely last long enough; Justices are limited to commenting on cases brought before them; Presidents burn out after two terms -- now by law. Senators have long legislative arms and longer memories. They work with each other because they are likely to have thirty year or longer relationships with some of the other ninety-nine people they shape policy with.
If I stay where I am, chances are I will never again have a Senator, much less two. I think I was very lucky to be able to claim Ted Kennedy as one of my Senators for nearly twenty years.
Massachusetts is lucky in this -- their junior (now senior) Senator, John Kerry, has greater seniority than most State's senior Senators. I hope he has learned from Ted Kennedy how to be charming, how to be ruthless when required, and, most of all, how to be prepared.
None of this was helped by my parents hearing the phone ring on June 1, 1961, as they were bringing me home from the hospital. My dad had orders (and the only other man with these orders from the same base had adopted his child less than a month earlier) to Viet Nam as one of the original advisors. After five weeks of language school, Dad was shipped off. He returned about two weeks before my first birthday. The story of me walking out on the tarmac holding my arms up to any man in a uniform and saying "Daddy?" is either heartbreaking or hilarious depending on the perspective.
So. Not fond of JFK. (Even less fond of Robert McNamara architect of our Southeast Asian foray.)
We were in Britain when Robert Kennedy was making his run for office. The first newspaper story I ever read was the news of his assassination in The Times. I wanted to know why that man had a funny look on his face, so I read the article.
But still, we weren't as a family, Kennedy fans.
This changed in 1976. When my father returned from his third tour in Viet Nam on March 25, 1975, several things happened that made him want to stay away from the Pentagon for awhile. He applied to be a Congressional Fellow and was the first military officer to do so. I believe there's only been one since. (Every year lots of officers apply to be White House Fellows and every year a few make it. I would think more would be interested in the Congressional side, if only because Congress approves the budget.)
He worked for five months for Gillis Long of Alexandria Parish in Louisiana on the House side and nearly seven months for Charles Percy of Illinois on the Senate side. During that time, Dad developed a profound respect for Ted Kennedy as an opponent, an ally, and a man.
Kennedy's people nearly always won their point because they were always, Dad says, the best prepared people in the room. In later years, Dad would make certain the officers serving under him were the best prepared people in any room they were in -- and he always acknowledged learning it from Kennedy's team.
Kennedy himself was charming. He spoke to other Senators privately and quietly before any meetings and smoothed over ruffled feathers as soon as the meeting were over. He used humor when he could and strong arm tactics only if he had to.
Whole books, fiction and nonfiction, have been written about great leaders of the Senate. The seniority system gives them clout. Representatives rarely last long enough; Justices are limited to commenting on cases brought before them; Presidents burn out after two terms -- now by law. Senators have long legislative arms and longer memories. They work with each other because they are likely to have thirty year or longer relationships with some of the other ninety-nine people they shape policy with.
If I stay where I am, chances are I will never again have a Senator, much less two. I think I was very lucky to be able to claim Ted Kennedy as one of my Senators for nearly twenty years.
Massachusetts is lucky in this -- their junior (now senior) Senator, John Kerry, has greater seniority than most State's senior Senators. I hope he has learned from Ted Kennedy how to be charming, how to be ruthless when required, and, most of all, how to be prepared.
