aides. Whatis missing in Kennedy’s leadership is skill harnessed to a larger view of public policy... Page 71Kennedy’s reputation today is that of a presidential playboy, yet he spent many weekendswith his family in Cape Cod. He was a quick study and a speed reader who did confinehis reading to official memoranda. Page 72According to Kennedy’s friend LeMoyne Billings, Kennedy treated “each day as if itwere his last, demanding of life constant intensity, adventure, and pleasure,” because hehad repeatedly come close to death in the war and in surgery and believed that he woulddie at an early age from Addison’s disease. Page 72Kennedy provides a reminder that a president’s actions are a function not only of theintensity of his passions, but also of his capacity to channel them and prevent them fromconfounding his official responsibilities. Page 73 Vision—Kennedy had little in the way of an overreaching perspective. He lacked grandaspirations and was limited in what he could accomplish by the balance of forces inCongress. Page 72 Vision—Harry S. Truman was fundamentally reactive. Many presidents werenot “event-making leaders”. Page 41....
