JFK: "Belated Realism"

"John F. Kennedy made the executive unaccountable for its decisions by creating the position of national security adviser, a post subject to neither congressional confirmation nor oversight" (Greenberg). 

Essentially JFK (like each of the other presidents Unger writes about) continued his predecessors' cycle of democratic destruction. He "pursues universal containment with new vigor" (100) in order to "assure the survival and success of liberty" (102). However, in doing so, Unger says that he not only disregarded American interest, but actually undermined it in his pursuit of international democracy. 

However, JFK's biggest failing is in the well known Bay of Pigs Fiasco in April of 1961, and more importantly in his response to it. First of all, Unger makes it clear that Cuba did not pose any direct threat to the US. However, "neither party dared consider the idea of coexisting with an increasingly communist regime ninety miles off Key West" (Unger 104). So, despite the fact that it was needless, JFK went ahead with the planned invasion. However, when the cover was story and he was left with awkward choice between outright american intervention and leaving the Cuban exiles to their fate, JFK went with option 2. 

Even worse than this decision, Unger argues, is that afterwards, JFK was actively angry with the CIA for failing to give him enough information to operate on, which landed him in an awkward position. Kennedy didn't learn from the error, and lessen his dependency on such institutions, he strengthened his hold on them.