rough least ideological politics and with the reality of the situation >> host: it's interesting john kennedy is the fourth of your great caesar's. my sense is nixon famous the city would take 50 years before people could write objectively about him and the irony is thinking 50 years in kennedy's caisse that the deification that followed the assassination ensured the conventional swinging to the letter extreme and only now in some ways of the kennedy presidency, for a long time we heard he didn't get much legislation passed, style over substance minimized. but in fact if you look at the issues with the age, the cold war and civil rights, he demonstrably to use that favorite term, grew in office. and in fact before his death had increased of the politically difficult position on both. >> guest: just as eisenhower had adopted more progressive position on the civil-rights in the previous administration. >> host: had he as opposed to enforcing a court order, had he mistake of believing southerners of time to a new racial order. >> guest: you put your finger on when you use the time in a short ord

and look at the reality of the situation. >> host: it's interesting, john kennedy is the fourth of your great caesar's. my sense is that richard famous is it would take 50 years before people could write objectively. the irony is i would think in 50 years in kennedy's case the deification of followed the assassination insured that the are swinging to the other extreme, and only now in some ways the kennedy presidency for a long time we heard he didn't get much legislation passed, linda substance. there is to be looking legitimized, but in fact if you look at the overriding issues of the age, the cold war and civil rights, she dons tralee, used that favorite word, a group in office. and before his death, that increase the politically difficult position on both. >> guest: just as eisenhower had adopted a more progressive positions, so for whites in the previous administration. >> host: had he has opposed in forcing the court order, had he, you know, in his heart -- que is could in fact be educated in a reasonably short period of time to a new racial order. >> guest: you put your finger on

in fact john f. kennedy wrote his thesis that was turned into a book, why england slept because he didn't want to know more about the armaments and the tragedy of world war i. but once the japanese attacked pearl harbor the whole scenario changed and what i have found so fascinating in looking back at fdr was the way that the united states geared itself up so incredibly quickly to fighting not only a world war but a world war onto vastly separated fronts in the pacific and in europe. >> host: it is interesting because well first of all, did you acknowledge that there would be candidates for caesar before fdr. for example what teddy roosevelt be a figure or woodrow wilson? >> guest: certainly there were characters who well would be caesars and i think often they were referred to as caesars. but, very quickly, that notion of the united states becoming a monarchy or an empire was abandoned, and it is only with world war ii that the united states forever abandoned isolationism and the real reason is the atomic b

. >>> the man who was called president john f. kennedy'sshadow has died. >> ted sorensen passed away from complications of a stroke. >> now from our vault, kennedy and sorensen in their own words. he was part of a news special on november 22nd, 1964. >> the presidency of the united states has been called the toughest job in the world. not the least of its qualifications is a sense of humor. >> republican national committee recently adopted a resolution saying you were pretty much of a failure. >> i'm sure it passed unanimously. >> i had then been working with the president for eight years. i knew his thoughts, his style, his words. our manner of writing and preparing a speech had become one instead of two. so i really could not say which ideas were originally his, which words were originally his, because if i went far enough back, all of them were originally his. in 1952 he was elevated from the congress to the senate where he had a broader constituency and a greater national responsibility. >> john kennedy's carefully timed explosion on to

i wrote about john kennedy and i looked at the polling data which said that the great american presidents in the eyes of most people were predictably washington, lincoln, fdr, but the included kanaby. it was a puzzle to me. he was only their fourth house in the days and yet he had become an iconic figure, and i wanted to get into the archives, read the material, and make some assessment of what his whole presidency was light. i worked for several years on the two volume life of lyndon johnson, and one of the principal questions that captured my attention was how can someone who, as brilliant a politician, has successfully politician as lbj, have been caught out by the war and vietnam. that is, the consensus that developed in 1964 and gave him a massive landslide election was destroyed by the war, and it puzzled me as to how johnson could have lost his hold on the public's imagination. on nixon and kissinger, a book published three years ago, i was trying to confront the issue of whether nixon and kissinger were as deserving of the accolades they received for their leadership in foreign po

. >> rose: where would you put john f. kennedy? >> very successful campaigner. alas, we'll never know -- >> three years. >> some achievements. but, again, i think a stillborn presidenciy. it's very hard to say. i think the question is whether or not obama's next two years-- and some of us would like to think next six years-- will redeem the promise of the ideas he lays ow in the books because they are quite ambitious, and i think that if he's able to work further toward the agenda that he lays out in the "audacity of hope," he will have been a transformative president. and i think the major pieces of legislation that have already been enacted are, if they're able to stand-- and i think they will-- going to be remembered 100 years from now as major landmarks in american history. >> rose: let's assume that our metric, our judgment is not the historic quality of the health care legislation but a political judgment as to whether the health care legislation did severe damage to his possibilities politically. >> he has said more than once that it was the right thing t

before john kennedy was assassinated." in houston. the early version he says i was talking to kennedy. i kept on noticing that kennedy was wearing his boxer shores and his shirt. i noticed that that was true. that was so different from in texas because in texas you're supposed to put on your trousers first to cover up the boxer shorts. not momentous but johnson sounds like a human being. that book did not. very defensive almost robotic it suggested that kennedy would have done everything that johnson did in vietnam and suggested almost everything he did in vietnam was perfect. didn't help him. the other end of the scale was grant. >> lehrer: that's considered one of the best. >> one of the worst presidents but a great writer of memoirs finished four days before he died. it's about his war years not about his presidency. he wrote it himself, sounds like it. he talks about a great record as general during the civil war and also people began to say there's something to grant that is a lot more intelligent. there's an inner lif

john kennedy had criticism from the left.but is it fair to say that all these presidents -- >> host: >> guest: they are forced into the middle. basically they are the extremes on the left in the right. and in the end, they're forced. and what's interesting is you exclude to a large extent the domestic policies, you see the miracle the domestic polities and how they still have the reserves they need and the insights they need to recognize a more global perspective in both american interest in global peace. >> host: i think -- is it safe to say that reality intrudes and ideology receives? >> guest: definitely. i think a lot of them have to take a very deep rut and basically forget politics for at least ideological politics and look at the reality of the situation. >> guest: it's interesting that john kennedy is the fourth of your great caesar. i'm wondering, my sense is that nixon famously said would take 50 years before people could write objectively about him. the irony is i would think of 50 years, and kennedy's case, that t

. >> john f. kennedy, 35th president of the united states in his 1961 inaugural address promised a foreign policy that would be rooted in, quote, unquote,-the success of liberty, not only at home but worldwide. 50 years later in a post cold war world, the united states has a different foreign policy and a different military policy. here are the words of our current president on the coordinate of our foreign policy, quote. once we get beyond matters of self-defense, though, i'm convinced that it will almost always be in our strategic interest to act multilaterally rather than unilaterally when we use force around the world. acting multilaterally means doing what george h.w. bush and his team did in the first gulf war engaging in the hard diplomatic work of obtaining most of the world support for our actions and making sure our tions serve to further recognize international norm, closed quote. question, who do you phrase the multilateral policy of president obama? i ask you, mort. >> i mean, i support it wi

. >>> tomorrow marks the 47th anniversary of president john f. kennedy.e's been no shortage of commissions, reviews or conspiracy theories questioning what really happened in dallas on november 22nd, 1963. in a new book jfk's secret service agents break their silence. brian todd talks with two of them. >> reporter: they're a pair of stoic 78-year-old grandfathers. they still carry themselves in that upright tradition and till have that bond that only secret service agents know. and still have vivid memories of the clear, crisp day in november nearly half a century ago. >> we couldn't help but we felt like we failed. we all had the same mission and it was a terrible feeling. >> blaine gives new accounts of that period in his just released book "the kennedy detail." he reveals how less than 24 hours after john kennedy's assassination, he almost caused another unspeakable tragedy. blaine stood guard outside lindhen johnson's house adjusted and on edge and heard approaching footsteps and readied his machine gun. >> put it to my shoulder and steadied my feet a

i spoke with blaine and clint hill just a few feet from john kennedy's grave.but has rarely spoken about that day. you had a tough time there, in those years after the assassination, after your resignation. can you talk about what you went through? >> you know, i had nightmares and it seemed like every time i turned around, there was something that reminded me of what had happened. so i just clammed up and went into my basement with some alcohol and some cigarettes and stayed there for a few years. >> reporter: clint hill was the first secret service agent to get to kennedy's car in dallas. he broke into a sprint after the initial shot was fired. he says if he could re-live those moments, if he could jump on the back maybe two second earlier -- >> without a question, i'd be taking a bullet for the president, be dead. >> it would be -- you think that would be a happier ending if you weren't here to talk to us? >> it would be a happier ending for the country and for everybody. >> reporter: how do you feel about that? that's a tough thing to live with for a number

. >>> today marks 47 years since the assassination of president john f. kennedy >>> now the secret service agents who were on jfk's detail that day are breaking their silence. brian todd has the dramatic revelations. >> they are a pair of stoic grandfathers. gerald blaine and clint hill carry themselves in that upright tradition. have that bond that only secret service agents know and still have vivid memories of that clear crisp day in november nearly half a century ago. >> we couldn't help but we felt like we failed. we all had the same mission, and it was a terrible feeling. >> blaine gives riveting new accounts of that period in his just released book the kennedy detail. he reveals how less than 24 hours after john kennedy's assassination, he almost caused another unspeakable tragedy. blaine stood guard outside lynn don john -- lyndon johnson's house in the early morning darkness. exhausted on edge he heard approaching foot steps and readied his sub machine gun. >> i put it to my shoulder and steadied my feet and around the house, i recognized right away it w

forget politics or at least ideological politics and look at the reality of the situation. >> host: john kennedy is the fourth. i'm wondering. my sense, nixon said it would take 50 years. the irony, i would think in 50 years in kennedy's case that the deification that follows the assassination in sure that the president would swing to the other extreme. only now in some ways. the kennedy presidency for a long time we heard he did not get much was session passed, the style or substance. ito's need to minimize. impact amount to a variety the cold war and civil rights, to use that favor term, he grew. in fact before his death he embraced the politically difficult position. >> guest: just as eisenhower had adoptive a progressive position on the civil rights in the previous administration. >> host: had he as opposed to that southerners would be as they could, in fact, be educated in a reasonably short amount of time to a new racial order. >> guest: you have put your finger on it. in a short order. because a lot of these presidents, if you put them together in a room, they would have very similar appr

john kennedy -- remember 1960. arthur schlesinger had to write a book. know, it doesn't make a difference, in effect, because people thought kennedy and nixon were in many ways two peas from a pod. there was a consensus enforced not only by the cold war but you know, we'd been through -- the generation that voted for ike, and then for kennedy -- they'd been collectively through the great depression and world war ii, and they were going to enter collectively a civil rights revolution and a host of other transforming changes. it was a water cooler nation. we spoke the same language in many ways. forty, 50 years later, it feels exactly the opposite. it's a terribly fragmented country. and what is it that the media purport to bring us together around? you know, lindsey lohan's going to jail. and i mean, whatever trivial -- the polarization of america is dangerous. the trivialization of america is worse. >> what do you think it would feel like, or feel different if you were back inside the white house in 1934? fdr had just been elected in 1932. the depression

. >>> now the secret service agents at john f. kennedy's side are breaking their silence with a dramatic new revelations. >> these retired agents are finally talking. we here for the first time some of the details. it explains why they have been so quiet for so long. it is an emotionally painful story for these two just feet from the grave of john f. kennedy, the man they were supposed to protect. >> we could not help that. we felt like we failed. >> they were quiet for almost 50 years and are now recounting the terrible day 47 years ago and the intense suffering that followed. >> alcohol, cigarettes. >> they reveal the situation could have gotten worse. 24 hours after the shooting, blaine was standing guard outside lyndon johnson's house overnight when they heard someone approach and he grabbed his machine gun. >> i put it to my shoulder and steady it. >> how close did you come to shooting him? >> my finger was on the trigger. i had nightmares about this for months afterwards. >> it was too much to bear. it has taken them decades to come t

. >>> we look back at a moment in history, now. 50 years ago this week, john f. kennedylected president in a historic vote. it was kennedy's legacy, to an extent, his endorsement from his brother and his daughter, that helped put kennedy on track to win the white house. >> i am, today, announcing my candidacy, for presidency of the united states. >> reporter: when senator john kennedy made that announcement, he faced formidable hurdles. at 42, he would be the youngest elected american president. and the first roman catholic. >> you have been divided between two loyalties between your church and to your state, if you were elected president? >> let me just say, i would not. i have sworn to uphold the constitution. >> reporter: kennedy wanted to focus on dangers, like the emerging communist threat. and problems, such as hunger at home. but he knew that in order to win, he would have to address his religion head-on. it became one of his signature speeches. >> so, it is apparently necessary for me to state once again, not what kind of church i believe in. for, that should be

nobody ever questioned that john kennedy was a catholic or harry truman was a baptist. when you get a large segment questioning whether barack obama is a christian, whether he is an american, and that number is growing, that is the byproduct of what you are describing, of irresponsible on edited and unaccountable information being circulated both in broadcast and in print. >> the first guantanamo detainee -- >> we would like to express our sympathy for the 224 people who died and the hundreds of others who were injured on august 7, 1998 progress on august 7, 1998, attacks on american embassies carried out by members of al- qaeda planned by osama bin laden killed 224 people. prosecutors say the suspect help al-qaeda with a truck and also brought explosives and so forth. this week, a federal jury convicted him of only one count of conspiracy. how could you not get convictions on 284 counts? >> there is a first the possibility that his story is true, but i am dubious because i know some things that the jury did not know. this will certainly reignite the debate over this. a

on november 22nd, 1963, president john f. kennedy was assassinated as he rode in a motorcade in dallas, texas. president kennedy was 46 years old. lyndon johnson was sworn in as the nation's 36th president. lee harvey oswald was charged with the president's murder. he was killed two days later while in police custody. >>> a mixed day for stocks in asia. ashley morrison in new york with more. good morning to you. >> good morning to you. most asian markets saw gains today. japan's nikkei rose nearly 1% the european union and international monetary fund agreed late sunday to bail out ireland. the three-year package will help cover ireland's massive deficit and prop up banks. >>> wall greet gets earnings from hewlett packard today. for the week the dow was up a fraction while the nasdaq lost a hair. >>> investors focus this week retail sales and traditional kickoff to the holiday shopping season black friday. so far americans have spent a bit more this month than they did this same time last year. the big question for most retailers is w

gps,ollsdvd' i'mosal citei han't ept day tomorrow marks the 47th anniversary says john f. kennedyassinated. secret service agents who were with him that there breaking their silence. they're now revealing new dramatic details. >> there. soak 78 your grandfather's, they still carry themselves in the upright tradition, still have that on that on the secret service agents have. m. harris about clear crisp day in november nearly half a century ago. >> we felt like we failed, we all had the same feeling it was a terrible feeling. >> a blanket is reverting accounts of that date in his new book. he reveals how after 24 hours after john kennedy's assassination, he almost caused another >> will tragedy. >> exhausted and on edge, he heard a perching footsteps and ready his submachine gun. >> i went around the house, and then i recognized that it was president johnson. >> johnson had just come out to get some air, >> how close were you to shooting him? >> my figure was on the trigger. i had nightmares about this for months afterward. >> johnson he said turned white said nothing went back int

>>> and nearly half a century after john f. kennedymembers of the secret service detail are breaking their long silence. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. breaking news, political headlines, and -- get this -- my interview and dance lesson with the hip-hop icon dougie fresh, all straight ahead. i'm wolf blitzer, you're in "the situation room." with air krafl already increasing for -- travel already increasing for the holiday period, pilots and passengers alike have been protesting the tough airport security measures. pilots got a break when the government relaxed the rules for screening them. pilots traveling in uniform on airline business will now be allowed to bypass normal security by showing proper identification, though some may still be picked out for random screening. for passengers, it's another story. and these dramatic pictures tell the story. the images from denverpost.com show passengers being patsed down by tsa screeners. it's all up close and very personal. and you can see that thes

. >>> time now 6:18. 47 years ago today president john f. kennedy was assassinated. for decades many of his secret service agents wouldn't talk about. but now two agents are breaking the silence. sandra is here with the details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it certainly is a very fascinating account of what happened 47 years ago today when president john f. kennedy was tragically assassinated. we have seen the pictures of the very young charismatic president making his way in dallas texas through this parade route and it was very interesting to note in this book called the kennedy detail written by two secret service members they recount the president just days before his assassination saying he really want his agents that are there to protect him work every day to protect his safety. he wanted them to scale back a little. he said to them we're in the middle of an election we've got to be accessible to the people and that was really what the charm was of john f. kennedy. keep in mind. so the agents at this moment at this rally on this parade route did in

sorenson was a close friend, adviser and confidant of john kennedy's. but it was his role in crafting those memorable kennedy speeches that is perhaps sorenson's most enduring legacy. sorenson started working for then-senator kennedy in 1953. he was fresh out of law school, just 24. and he followed the young president to the white house. his contribution to kennedy's book "profiles in courage" has long been hotly debated. sorenson signed an affidavit insisting he did not ghost write "profiles," which won a pulitzer prize. and as for kennedy's most famous turn of phrase -- >> ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. >> reporter: in his 2008 memoir, sorenson wrote, the truth is that i simply don't remember where that line came from. sorenson also worked for robert kennedy, in whom he saw echoes of barack obama. >> barack obama, like robert kennedy, is an inspiring speaker, eloquent speaker. people who say, oh, that's just words, just rhetoric. just words, just rhetoric is what made this country great. >> and ted soren

kennedy for at the kennedy school is celebrating a number of evens in honor of the 50th anniversary of john f. kennedy's presidency, and tonight is one of those events. we are celebrating the fact that 50 years ago this week president kennedy announced the formation of the peace corps. we have with us tonight the current director of the peace corps and three past directors of the peace corps. they cover four administrations and about 20 years of the peace corps's history. th hon. elaine chao was director of the peace corps from 1991 to 1992, during the first bush administration. she went on to become the secretary of labor in the second bush and administration, and she was the longest serving secretary of labor since '05, and the first asian american woman in the cabinet. she is a distinguished fellow at the heritage foundation. mark gearen was director of the peace corps between 1995 and 1999. before that, he was a director of communications for the clinton white house. since 1999, he has been the president of hobart and william smith college. gaddi vasquez was director of the peace corps

. >> if you look at the relationship john kennedy had with the press, it was beautiful. when ronald reagan came in, it was beautiful. we were kind of on the outside looking in. but i think after the nixon watergate scandal many of the press helped -- felt they could do what bob woodward did and expose something inside my administration, inside my personal life, that might be a scandal. we had a very tense relationship with the press while i was in office. that was a mistake and partially my own fault. but when i was governor of georgia, we did not ever feel we had to participate in the nightlife of atlanta or washington. that kept us on the outside. tavis: that is the second issue you raised, that you and the first lady did not do the social circuit in d.c., and one of the things you have to do in d.c. is the social circuit. >> i would say that was in retrospect a mistake, but that is our lifestyle. we still live in a town with a total population of 135 people, and 60% are african-american. we live in a tiny place and i still grow peanuts on my farm in georgia. we are no

alexis christoforous, cbs news, new york. >>> 50 years ago this week, john f. kennedydent of the united states. to mark the anniversary, "life" magazine has released never-before-seen pictures of kennedy in private moments as well as out on the campaign trail and making public appearances. one even showed a smiling jackie kennedy, pregnant with jfk jr. the photos from 1960 have never been published. >>> this morning on "the early show," advice on boosting your brain power, and keeping your mind sharp. i'm betty nguyen. this is the "cbs morning news." if you live for performance, upgrade to castrol edge advanced synthetic oil. with eight times better wear protection than mobil 1. castrol edge. it's more than just oil. it's liquid engineering. it's your fault. naturally, blame the mucus. [ mucus ] what you need is new advil congestion relief. it reduces swelling due to nasal inflammation. so i can breathe. [ mucus ] new advil congestion relief. so i can breathe. >>> there's no doubting the destructive force of a hurricane. which is why new advances are being made in the

kennedy for at the kennedy school is celebrating a number of evens in honor of the 50th anniversary of john f. kennedy's presidency, and tonight is one of those events. we are celebrating the fact that 50 years ago this week president kennedy announced the formation of the peace corps. we have with us tonight the current director of the peace corps and three past directors of the peace corps. they cover four administrations and about 20 years of the peace corps's history. the hon. elaine chao was director of the peace corps from 1991 to 1992, during the first bush administration. she went on to become the secretary of labor in the second bush and administration, and she was the longest serving secretary of labor since '05, and the first asian american woman in the cabinet. she is a distinguished fellow at the heritage foundation. mark gearen was director of the peace corps between 1995 and 1999. before that, he was a director of communications for the clinton white house. since 1999, he has been the president of hobart and william smith college. gaddi vasquez was director of the peace corps

thank you. [ applause ] >> john f. kennedy jr. three weeks later and he would only have his father in his life for three years. >>> that's our broadcast for this monday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. as always, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> finding it in their hearts. tonight johannes mehserle's father speaks out since his son's sentencing and he has something to say to the familiar el of the man he shot and killed. >>> for months todd

kendy for at the kennedy school is celebrating a number of evens in honor of the 50th anniversary of john f. kennedy's presidency, and tonights e of those events. we are celebrating the fact that 50 years ago this week president kennedy announced the formation of the peace corps. we have with us tonight the current director of the peace corps and three past directors of the peace corps. they cover four administrations and about 20 years of the peace corps's history. the hon. elaine chao was director of the peace corps from 1991 to 1992, during the first bush administration. she went on to become the secretary of labor in the second bush and adminisation, and she was the longest serving secretary of labor since '05, and the first asian american woman in the cabinet. she is a distiuished fellow at the heritage foundation. mark gearen was director of the peace corps between 1995 and 1999. before that, he was a director of communications for the clinton white house. since 1999, he has been the president of hobart and william smith college. gaddi vasquez was director of the peace corps between

. >>> back now at 7:45 with congressman patrick kennedy, the nephew of president john f. senator ted kennedy chose not to seek re-election this year. so for the first time in 60 years, there will be no kennedy serving on capitol hill. the end of the kennedy era, as so many people are saying, what are your thoughts about that? have you thought about it? >> it's actually for me the beginning of a new chapter and it's actually seizing the remembrance of john f. kennedy that we're going to work on. earlier with george bush and his alcoholism, but frankly these are brain illnesses that need to be treated as such. we're going to mark the anniversary of president kennedy's moon shot address where he said we're going to go to the moon and return a man safely before the decade is out and say now we need to research inner space, the inner space of the brain. the sputnik for our time are the suicide rate for our soldiers. now our soldiers are killing themselves in greater numbers than are killed in combat. and these are active duty soldiers, we're not just talking veterans. over 7,0

kennedy buff. so when a friend gifted him a used copy of john f. kennedy's 1960 book, the strategy of peace, he was ecstatic. but the true stunner was tucked between the pages. a mint condition business card signed by the former present during his senate years. the card is w locked away in a bank. its true worth, still unknown. >>> well, i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. >>> and this is what it looks like outside at this hour. 4:28, 47 degrees in the nation's dam. washington monument all lit up. good morning to you. i'm joe krebs. >> i'm eun yang for this wednesday, novber 10th, 2010. we begin with a developing story. right now there are nearly 4,500 people stranded on a carnival cruise ship in the middle of the pacific ocean. it has no airconditioning and no hot water and food is running out. the ship left long beach, california on monday and cruising toward mexico when it suddenly caught fire. the fire cut power to the vessel cutting the seven-day cruise short. now all passengers

kennedy buff. so when a friend gifted him a used copy of john f. kennedy's 1960 book, the strategy of peace, he was ecstatic. but the true stunner was tucked between the pages. a mint condition business card signed by the former president during his senate years. the card is now locked away in a bank. its true worth, still unknown. >>> well, i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. >> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today in hd. >> good morning, everyone. we're off to a nice quiet start on this wednesday. it will not be as windy as it has been the last couple days. 48 downtown. 43 and parkton. mostly sunny and pleasant today. high temperatures will be looked 60's. " come back and check if forecast going into the weekend. >> thank you. 45 degrees on tv hill. here's a look ahead to 11 news today. >> it looks like plans to build a walmart have cleared a major hurdle. details are next. >> president obama in south korea this morning with the economic on his mind. >> on the b