Great ltte challenging the Joe/JFK comparison

[monarch]

Claudia Weicker had a wonderful letter in the Courant today:

"Let's Not Repeat JFK's Mistake

"The July 2 Commentary article by Marshall Wittmann and Steven J. Nider is a slippery recounting of history <"No Conservative: Lieberman's A JFK Democrat">. It's also worth noting that the Democratic Leadership Council, with whom both writers are associated, is not an unbiased observer in the upcoming Democratic Senate primary in Connecticut because Sen. Joseph Lieberman is a prominent member and past chairman of that organization....

"JFK's decision to entangle us in Vietnam was a mistake. Sadly, we will never know whether he would have reversed his decision. What we do know is that more than 50,000 Americans died in that war. It divided our country, brought about the downfall of one Democratic president, cost the Democrats the White House in 1968 and contributed to the disgrace of a Republican president. It bred governmental deceit, abuses of power and gave birth to lasting public cynicism. Today we are engaged in another such entanglement with all the same consequences.

"As a Democrat, I can find much to commend JFK. However, Vietnam is not on that list. Let us learn from history, sparing our children and grandchildren the misery of past mistakes."