The Kennedy Half Century: The Presidency, Assassination, and Lasting Legacy of John F. Kennedy

On the 50th anniversary of J.F.K.’s assassination, Sabato, professor of political science at the University of Virginia and frequent cable news pundit, offers a clear-eyed evaluation of the Kennedy political legacy. He knowledgeably addresses the early Kennedy career, highlighting the hard-fought Nixon-Kennedy presidential race and the much-discussed debates. Throughout, Sabato notes the differences between politics circa 1960 and now, noting that Kennedy’s Catholicism was controversial and his well-received 1960 speech promising the separation of church and state made contemporary Catholic politician Rick Santorum “want to vomit.” Sabato also attempts to clear the murky waters surrounding the Kennedy assassination and readers will be interested in his discussion of the vexing question of whether Oswald operated alone, and if not, who else was involved. Sabato is extremely critical of the Warren Commission Report, pointedly judging it a failure, and his synthesis of existing knowledge about the assassination promises to include “new revelations” presumably supportive of his skepticism. He also discusses concrete successes and failures: the Berlin crisis, the Bay of Pigs, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The final third of Sabato’s book traces the influence of Kennedy on his presidential successors to round out a timely, well-documented, and measured view of our 35th president. (Nov.)