Comparision/contrast - Essay Example

I. Brief overview of the apparent differences and similarities between presidents Kennedy and Bush. A. Kennedy’s popularity vs Bush’s unpopularity B.U.S. popularity vs. anti-AmericanismC. Thesis Statement: Beneath the differences, however, there are remarkable similarities between these two U.S. presidencies, whereby Kennedy’s anti-communist stand, his engagement in Vietnam and his use of the State Information Agency, all correspond to Bush’s anti-terror stand, his engagement in Iraq and his use of Homeland Security.II. Kennedy’s strong anti-communist stand is in almost perfect correspondence with Bush’s anti-terrorism stand. A. Kennedy’s perception of the communist threatB.

Bush’s perception of the terrorist threatC. Bush has exaggeratedly portrayed as a direct and immediate threat to the United States and the American way of life, just as Kenned had presented communism decades earlier.III. Similarities between the two presidents are further apparent in their decision to engage their nation in conflict. A. Rationale for Vietnam War1. National Security2. Duty to promote liberty and democracy3. Communist threatB. Rationale for Iraq War1. National Security2. Duty to promote liberty and democracy3.

Terrorist threatC. Both president exploited an existing global political challenge to create the impression of an immediate threat to the US and, subsequently used the public fears aroused to justify what were, arguably, hopeless and senseless wars.IV. The similarity between the two presidents extends to their use of national security and official communication institutions and instruments to achieve their objectives as regards war and the supposed fight for liberty and national security. A.

United States Information AgencyB. Department of Homeland SecurityC. Bush has used Homeland Security as had Kennedy the United States Information Agency: to maintain public fear and provide continued justification for war.V. ConclusionA. Objective analysis leads to the conclusion that there are remarkable similarities between the two. B. Similarities are possibly obscured by1. Charisma vs. lack of charisma2. Myth vs. realityAt first glance, there seems to be hardly any grounds for undertaking a comparison and contrast between the country’s 35th and 43rd president.

Much more appears to separates John F. Kenney and George W. Bush, the former one of the U.S. most popular presidents and the latter one of its least, than the passage of half-a-century and political party affiliation. During Kennedy’s short-presidency and, in large measure, an outcome of his own charismatic character, rather than his policies, the United States attained the peak of its global popularity (Parmet, 33). Conversely, the presidency of George W. Bush and, as a consequence of both his personality/public persona and policies, global anti-Americanism has never reached such heights and the U.S.’ critics abroad have never been so vocal (“When the Elite Meet,” para. 1). Beneath the differences, however, there are remarkable similarities between these two U.S. presidencies, whereby Kennedy’s anti-communist stand, his engagement in Vietnam and his use of the State Information Agency, all correspond to Bush’s anti-terror stand, his engagement in Iraq and his use of Homeland Security.

Kennedy’s strong anti-communist stand is in almost perfect correspondence with Bush’s anti-terrorism stand. As Eric Alterman explains, Kennedy viewed communism as antithetical to all that the United States symbolized and represented. His perception of communism were semi-myopic, in the sense that he was inherently incapable of seeing it as anything less than a very real and immediate threat to the United States and its vision of the world order (10). Political analysts and historians have determined that communism, at least during the Kennedy years, was not an immediate threat to the United States and, certainly not one which warranted the brink of nuclear attack which Kennedy brought the nation to during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Indeed, communism was a challenge to American political and economic ideology, not a threat (Alsop, 18). Even while granting that in 2001, the U.S’ mainland was attacked for the first time in its history and, by terrorists, the fact remains that President George W. Bush similarly exaggerated the threat which terrorism posed towards the United States. Giving the public the impression that atomic weapons could very well be in the hands of terrorists and that there are no guarantees that a second terrorist attack on the U.S. could very well be an atomic one, Bush effectively exaggerated the threat, raising public fear levels to almost unprecedented heights (Bonsignore, 6).

Terrorism was exaggeratedly portrayed as a direct and immediate threat to the United States and the American way of life, just as Kenned had presented communism decades earlier.Similarities between the two presidents are further apparent in their decision to engage their nation in conflict. Proceeding from the premise that communism was a direct threat to the U.S. and Americans, Kenney maintained that the U.S. national security was incontrovertibly linked to the halting of communism’s spread.

Indeed, he maintained that the United States owed it to itself to fight for the freedom and liberty of people across the world and to democratize nations (Owens, 35-36). Using the liberty, democracy, freedom and national security argument, Kennedy embroiled the United States in a war which it could not win. The similarities between the rationale for the Vietnam War and the Iraq War are remarkable. Just as did Kennedy, Bush argued that engagement in Iraq was imperative for American national security and that the promotion of democracy and the liberalization of nations and people was a duty the U.S. owed itself and its citizens.

Just as Kennedy had used the communist threat to present his case for Vietnam, Bush used the terrorism threat to argue engagement in Iraq (Alterman, 10). Indeed, both president had exploited an existing global political challenge to create the impression of an immediate threat to the US and, subsequently used the public fears aroused to justify what were, arguably, hopeless and senseless wars.The similarity between the two presidents extends to their use of national security and official communication institutions and instruments to achieve their objectives as regards war and the supposed fight for liberty and national security.

As Cull explains, Kennedy used the United States Information Agency to maintain the impression of communism as an immediate an direct threat to the United States. Giving an impression of governmental transparency and commitment to truth, Edward R. Murrow, the Director of the United States Information Agency, repeatedly spoke to the American public of that threat, thereby sustaining public fears and justifying war (Cull, 27-28). President George W. Bush has, in essence done the same with Homeland Security.

More times that one can possibly remember, the Director of Homeland Security spoke to the American people, argued that they were confronting a tremendous threat in the form of terrorism and that our nation was under immediate threat. Threat levels are constantly raised and Americans are continually being informed about what to do should a terrorist attack occur. None has over the past 5 years but what has been achieved is the maintenance of public fear, thereby allowing Bush to continue in his military engagement in Iraq.

Bush, indeed, has used Homeland Security as had Kennedy the United States Information Agency: to maintain public fear and provide continued justification for war.While many, especially Democrats, would disagree with the foregoing comparison between presidents Kennedy and Bush, objective analysis leads one to conclude the presence of remarkable similarities between the two. Possibly, what obscures these similarities is that Kennedy had charisma, where Bush has little, if any and that, with his assassination, Kennedy passed onto American myth and legend while Bush remains, for some, a reality which is difficult to digest.

Works CitedAlterman, Eric. “The Century of the Son of a Bitch.” Nation. 277, 20. 12/15/2003,: 10. Alsop, Stewart. “The Inner-Directed Mood.” Saturday Evening Post. 238, 5. 3/13/1965: 18. Bonsignore, Ezio. “Drums of War & Conspiracy Theories.” Military Technology. 30, 4. 2006: 6-7.Cull, Nicholas J.. “The Man Who Invented Truth: The Tenure of Edward R. Murrow as Director of the United States Information Agency During the Kennedy Years.” Cold War History. 4, 1. Oct.

2003: 23-48. Owens, Mackubin. “But Was It True?” National Review. 56, 3. 2/23/2004: 34-39. Parmet, Herbert S. “The Kennedy Myth and American Politics.” The History Teacher. 24, 1. Nov. 1990: 31-39. “When the Elite Meet.” Time. 157, 25. 06/25/2001.