'Johnny we hardly knew ye', today marks the 100th birthday of JFK

It has been 100 years since John F. Kennedy’s birth on May 29, 1917, at his parents’ home in Brookline, Mass., just outside Boston. Over the course of his life, Kennedy enjoyed lavish birthday celebrations, the most famous being a Democratic fundraising bash at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962, when--according to the Washington Post--a sequined Marilyn Monroe breathily purred, Happy burrthday, Mr. President. 

Today, on the this Memorial Day, our memory of Kennedy is more solemn. Kennedy has been dead longer than he was alive and his brief 1,000 days as president ended tragically more than fifty years ago. 

Yet today, more than ever, we yearn for his style, eloquence and confidence. Kennedy was a student of history.  He understood the prestige and historical significance of his office and handled it with grace an dignity.

Kennedy made difficult decisions after careful deliberation.  He was respected abroad and revered at home.  When he spoke the world listened--whether it was on the steps of the capital on inauguration day or Berlin during his international travels--America was proud of its president.

President Kennedy never had to push his way to the front of stage--the way was always clear--world leaders knew where Kennedy belonged.

Kennedy once said, "Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future."  
Wouldn't that be great to put into practice today. Happy Birthday Mr. President!