now in five years and now there's so many unanswered questions about his presidency, his political career that is always going to be a popular person to write about. >> we don't think about him as a senator very often. gives a snapshot of his senate career. >> that's a true man. we always think of kennedyesque president kennedy. he was just an inconsequential senator. here's very active in foreign policy debates, very active in the discussion about vietnam, algeria, the soviet union. he did something interesting. he chaired a special committee to determine the five in american history. particularly lyndon johnson created wealth. so this is real in some sense that project kennedy was in charge of turn the senate

career. he took it very seriously, inquired of the greatest country and spent six, seven months digging into this, came up with a list of the five greatest senators and there is something that became part of his identity has been a good politician, but also someone very steeped in american history. >> who came out on top of that list? >> the 220th century ones. when sir john calhoun, danny webster, henry clay, the pre-civil war era. kennedy's committee quickly decided on the top three. they had a longer debate on the next two. even back at that point, kennedy would prefer a gentleman by the name of churchgoers to be abating progressive. they resent him for nebraska's senators may filibuster that joy. the kennedy hatch back off. there were some subtle hints of

filibusters in the senate. >> what would you say was one of president kennedy's most substantive pieces of legislation in the senate? >> first of all, he was asked about labor issues. he was chairman of the labor subcommittee and i was the one domestic issue that he really dug into. is a huge issue in that time. he mastered it. it was the one domestic issue he mastered. he understood the nuances of labor a lot better than anyone. interestingly, he caught in a complex political battle and the final bill didn't really resemble what he wanted. so i was a vapor lock, but also foreign policy. he gave some really marvelous beaches on the french involvement in china, on algeria, the french adult and in algeria, on the whole battle with the soviet union and how

the u.s. should try to emerge in the cold war. so he was interesting. he was a more compelling person i expect good and of course had some great contemporaries. he worked with hubert humphrey, linda johnson, d. jackson. it was a really interesting time of great senators. >> was his relationship with anna johnson the senate? be back it was very weird. and back, letters to lyndon johnson asking for better committee assignments. johnson is the senate democratic leader. kennedy was a more junior senator. johnson seemed to put them away. at one point ted sorensen said a wonderful know. johnson appointed kennedy to some third or fourth tier, judging commission or something. sorensen said a letter were making great progress.

the boston harbor dredging commission. so it was a weary, competitive relationship. but in the end, johnson came to respect kennedy is a top formidable politician. didn't think he was a real heavy hitter on policy, but he was a real compelling political figure. >> cancan days career benefit at a click >> the issue very well. he had a good schooling and not. i think he's developed an appreciation. he spent 14 years. but it was clear he wanted to move on to the presidency and in fact became only the second u.s. senator. before him, the only one was warren harding in 1920. barack obama in 2008. the senate isn't really a natural jumping off point get kennedy found a way to use it to

advance his political ambition. >> name of the book, "jfk in the senate: pathway to the presidency." the author, john shaw. >> it's a rare constant in american political life. you look at it, say congress in 1901, less than 2% of members came from working-class backgrounds, got into politics and eventually wound up in congress. the average number of congress spent less than 2% a year doing manual jobs, service industry jobs. so this is one thing that hasn't changed out the different aspects of the political process. broadcast television, cable news, big money in politics while this is happening, one of the constants during the last hundred yes