There are 75 days to the inauguration, and 1461 days until the 2012 Election, and President-Elect Barack Hussein Obama II is beginning to establish his inner sanctum in the West Wing, as well as the high profile Administration members. No one is surprised that campaign strategist David Axelrod will join the Obama White House as a Senior Advisor, as well as the Key Secret Keeper!
Rep. Rahm Emmanuel, a former Clinton staffers, and a member of Congress who is well versed in the strengths and weaknesses of each Democrat on Capitol Hill, has accepted the position of Chief of Staff. Emmanuel is Jewish, and his father was born in Israel. The new Chief of Staff has a fierce reputation on the Hill, and has been known to throw out epithets of four letter words! Obama wants this close aide at his side to soothe Israel and the American Jewish committee.
Now comes word that Caroline Kennedy may be appointed an ambassadorship position, possibly to the United Nations, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., her cousin, has been mentioned as a possible head of the Environmental Protection Agency. Robert Kennedy’s activism with regard to the environment is strong, and his approach would be very “anti-business” which would follow the Obama plan of breaking the backs of the mainstay of our economy, the small businesses.
In the early days of this long campaign season, the Chicago Tribune referred to Michelle Obama as our new Jackie Kennedy. From Hope’s Audacity: There was Only One Camelot:
Shortly after the death and funeral of President John F. Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy agreed to a brief interview about the assassination and the Kennedy legacy. When the First Lady was asked how she wanted the Kennedy White House years to be remembered, she thoughtfully said that she likened it to Camelot.
“Don’t let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment that was known as Camelot.”…There’ll never be another Camelot again…
Interview with T.H. White on November 29, 1963
at Hyannis, MA, for LIFE Magazine
Now, 45 years later, in the midst of another election period, it is important to remember that it is just words to equate one’s candidacy to the legacy of our fallen leader. It is History that will determine the true legacy of the candidates in this election, the winners and the losers. Instead of trying to be likened to the iconic Presidency of John F. Kennedy, perhaps the better strategy would be to be fully forthright in one’s own accord.
President-Elect Obama, to paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen, “You’re No Jack Kennedy”
[...] is a feeling that the Obama presidency has all the markings of being the Camelot of this century. This has to be how it must have felt during the Kennedy days. A young, vibrant, attractive couple [...]
Jacqueline Kennedy’s interview with Theodore H. White was published in the Dec. 6, 1963 issue of LIFE Magazine (”For President Kennedy An Epilogue,” pp. 158-159).
More information about the interview and of White’s notes is at:
http://www.jfklancer.com/pdf/Camelot.pdf
Dom: I actually happen to be lucky enough to have an original copy of that issue.