09-07-2015, 08:21 PM
I think a lot of people confuse his relatively hawkish speeches in 1960-62 with his actual policies. Ironically, right-wing critics of the time pointed out the huge gulf between his tough talk and his "soft" actions.
He was a smart enough politician to know he was doing a balancing act between the Hawks in both parties, and his own desire to change things. He had conservative Southern Democrats controlling Congressional committees, Cold War fanatics like Hoover, Dulles, LeMay, etc., and a public that had been brainwashed for 15 years into fearing the "Reds." He had to play his cards carefully and often secretly.
He was a smart enough politician to know he was doing a balancing act between the Hawks in both parties, and his own desire to change things. He had conservative Southern Democrats controlling Congressional committees, Cold War fanatics like Hoover, Dulles, LeMay, etc., and a public that had been brainwashed for 15 years into fearing the "Reds." He had to play his cards carefully and often secretly.