JFK or LBJ?

[justW353]

They were both pretty good Presidents, but Johnson...I think JFK would have had a great presidency if he had served two terms (wouldn't be popular due to Vietnam, but...).  It took a lot of time of LBJ's reputation to improve after Vietnam, I don't think it'd be quite as hard for Kennedy, but...

I suppose it's kind of a good thing that Kennedy was killed.  I can't imagine him with graying hair in the '80s.  Plus, he'd probably be a divorced womanizer.  I suppose his reputation now is someone eternally young, energetic, charismatic, tragic, I guess that's a good thing for him.

No one remembers the Bay of Pigs anymore, they remember the Missile Crisis...The ones that are killed have it easier I guess.

[justW353]

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was a better president.

Why?

LBJ carried on the Vietnam War. It doesn't matter who started it, LBJ had the chance to get out when things started getting worse and instead he proceeded toward disaster.

LBJ pushed through much more domestic legislation than JFK. Also, JFK nearly caused a nuclear war by placing American missiles in Turkey and provoking the U.S.S.R., causing them to place missiles in Cuba. Not to mention that JFK screwed up the Bay of Pigs and also increased U.S. troops levels in Vietnam (from 750 to 14,000). Finally, hindsight is 20-20--LBJ thought Vietnam was going to be another Korea and that he needed to prevent the U.S.S.R. from expanding its infeluence in Southeast Asia (due to the domino theory). He didn't know the U.S. would lose the war or so many lives. It's only in hindisght that Vietnam could clearly be said to be a mistake. Beleive me, if Vietnam ended up like Korea, everybody would be calling LBJ a true hero and a great President.

JFK was gonna pull out of Vietnam.