Profiles in Courage

Rating:
Summary: The best book about politics, courage& honest representation
Review: John F. Kennedy, in a lucid manner, details the political life of eight U.S. Senators. Kennedy outlines the hard decisions each Senator had to make, often at the expense of their careers. However, as Kennedy explains, these decisions were for the good of the nation and not just the good of each individual politician. I recommend this book to anyone considering going into politics. Maybe it should be required reading before being able to represent districts. I know our political system would work much better if current politicians would frequent this book. An extraordinary book!

Rating:
Summary: A must buy
Review: I have never been a big fan of JFK and I have found that many things remotely associated with him to be unnecessarily praised because he is a Kennedy, American royalty. However, I found the book "a must buy" for the two objectives JFK wanted to demonstrate:
- The courage of individuals at key points in their careers who risked and usually lost everything for what they believed in
- That politicians are forced in their careers to balance of the interests of their parties, their voters, their state, the nation, and their conscience. It is very hard to serve so many masters.
The book increased my understanding of the difficulty of the political process.

Rating:
Summary: An Inspirational read in ugly times
Review: After having just experienced the very ugly, brutish, and nasty 2004 U.S. presidential election, I found myself emotionally beaten up and drained. Picking up this book was a quick way to lift my spirits.

John F. Kennedy's (or whoever wrote it) short history of a selection of senators who, caught between swallowing their pride and supporting popular measures they believed were wrong and following their consciences and supporting unpopular ideas, chose to follow their own hearts and minds. Many of these men had their once promising careers ended early for their unpopular actions. Many made their decisions to support unpopular ideas at the most uncertain periods in American history, such as the time immediately preceding the Civil War or the post Civil War period of poverty and raw nerves.

For anyone who is looking for a refresher of what makes the United States a truly great country, reading this quick and inspirational book is an excellent place to begin.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK
Review: THIS IS A EXCELLENT BOOK. I RECOMMEND IT TO READERS OF ALL AGES.

Rating:
Summary: A good, if somewhat idealistic view of US politics
Review: The book made me realize just how dirty of a business politics is. It's the nature of the business. You must be amoral. But once in a while a politican puts it all on the line to stand up for some very important to him. That is the premise of the book.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the book, all the names of 19th century senators, had me confused at times.
I saw a hardcover version of this book with pictures so you can put a face to the name. I would highly suggest that version.

Rating:
Summary: A must buy
Review: I have never been a big fan of JFK and I have found that many things remotely associated with him to be unnecessarily praised because he is a Kennedy, American royalty. However, I found the book "a must buy" for the two objectives JFK wanted to demonstrate:
- The courage of individuals at key points in their careers who risked and usually lost everything for what they believed in
- That politicians are forced in their careers to balance of the interests of their parties, their voters, their state, the nation, and their conscience. It is very hard to serve so many masters.
The book increased my understanding of the difficulty of the political process.

Rating:
Summary: Courage Defined
Review: John F. Kennedy was an award winning writing before he became President. While I have long intended to read his best known book, I have only recently acted on the opportunity. Although my primary interest in American history is relegated to more recent history, I found "Profiles in Courage"to be a very pleasurable read.

Kennedy chose a select group of senators with courageous motives to be the subject of his book. The time periods of the senators are as diverse as their deeds. John Q. Adams is the discussed for his valor in voting against the Federalist principles he was elected to defend. His actions made him unpopular in his home state of Massachusetts. Daniel Webster is noted for his attempts to keep the union together. Thomas Hart Benton refused to allow Missouri to leave the union while combating the Kansas-Nebraska Bill. Sam Houston turned most of the state of Texas against himself by refusing to allow Texas to leave the union. Edmund Ross perhaps received more abuse than any of the senators mentioned in the book for being the vote that prevented Andrew Jackson's conviction on impeachment charges. Lucius Quintas Cincinnatus Lamar became the unpopluar southern senator to bridge the gap with the North in the Reconstruction. George Norris caused an end to the political machine the senate had become in his time. Robert Taft became to unpopular spokesman for the illegalities of the Nuremberg Trials. Most of these men sacrificed their political careers for their stance. These stories are refreshing in an era of partisan politics. It is difficult to image similar acts today.

Although Kennedy was never allowed to reach his potential as a President, he proves to be an accomplished writer. Kennedy unintentionally raises questions about the functioning of the senate and government in general. It must be questioned if a democracy is truly working if the main goal of a senator or elected official is to be reelected. With reelection at stake, can any elected official vote for the best interest of the country if it is unpopular with the people? Government is intended to act in the people's best interest. It must be considered if appointed senators were more effective than elected senators. While there may be no easy answer to this, pondering the question and potentially making changes is an example effective democracy.

Rating:
Summary: The prescience to transcend
Review: Edmund G. Ross(R). Who is he? How could someone so unknown be so significant in saving our country during a time of unprecedented peril? From threats both near and far, Ross was under a seemingly insurmountable burden to vote for impeachment, he chose, however, to exhibit "the courage to vote according to the dictates of my judgment and for the highest good of the country." This courage to uphold the Constitution and ignore the rabble rouser constituents of his native Kansas and the ever-strident Radical Republicans emboldened him to cast the deciding vote in acquitting President Andrew Johnson from certifiable impeachment -- by one vote. In doing so, Ross sagaciously restored order in the most tumultuous time in our history, and more importantly, forever rescued the dwindling autonomy of the executive branch from an increasingly partisan Congressional autocracy.

While this profound book chronicles the trials and tribulations of an impressive, yet eclectic, group of Senators all the way from the courageous John Quincy Adams up until the principled Robert A. Taft, I found one prevailing theme to be both extolled ad nauseam yet rarely enacted -- the laudable attribute of unassailable principled conviction in a time of unfathomable duress which, oftentimes, leads to grave repercussions.

"The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in a time of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality."
- Robert F. Kennedy in the foreword

Rating:
Summary: Grace Under Pressure
Review: "Profiles in Courage" is a rare book - for a number of reasons.

First, of course, is that the author is nothing short of American royalty and the publication of the book in 1956 had an instantaneous impact on Kennedy's political fortunes. In the late 1950s, JFK was a freshman senator without many notable achievements. "Profiles" immediately set him apart from his Congressional colleagues and established him as something of an intellectual heavyweight in Washington and garnered valuable publicity that ultimately vaulted him to the 1960 Democratic nomination and the presidency.

Second, never before has a work of non-fiction been so immediately embroiled in controversy, both because of questions concerning its composition and the fact that it won the 1957 Pulitzer Prize for biography. The consensus today -- nearly half-a-century after its publication and after intense scrutiny -- is that the book was essentially written by committee. JFK may have provided the inspiration for the work, but close aide and confidant Ted Sorenson did most of the heavy lifting around research and writing. In other words, Kennedy was more the "editor" than the "author." Indeed, Herbert Parmet investigated the "who wrote Profiles?" question in detail in his 1980 book "Jack: The Struggle of John F. Kennedy" and concluded that there was no evidence from reams of hand-written notes and memos that JFK contributed anything substantial to the final version of the book. This after Kennedy threatened to sue ABC for millions after syndicated columnist Drew Pearson alleged that the book was ghostwritten during a 1957 appearance on the Mike Wallace Show, an allegation ABC was forced to retract. To add to the brouhaha, the Pulitzer committee never officially nominated "Profiles" in 1957, yet somehow it came away with the award. Rumors swirled that Joseph Kennedy - and good friend and New York Times columnist Arthur Krock - leaned on the committee to get JFK the award, but those charges have never been, nor likely ever will be, verified.

Finally, the book is rare and important because of its content and theme. Contrary to other reviews, this book is NOT about "doing the right thing." The author(s) stress that each vignette concerns Senators who deliberately took a stand of conscious, which they knew would be unpopular with their constituents and likely cripple their political careers. Their stories have nothing to do with being right in time. Indeed, was Webster "doing the right thing" when he pursued compromise in 1850, including acceptance of the hated Fugitive Slave Law, which so appalled abolitionist Massachusetts? Was Norris right for scuttling Wilson's attempts to arm the American merchant fleet that was being decimated by German U-Boats before the US entry into the First World War? The central issue is the willingness to accept malicious public abuse, the loss of friends, power, prestige and the sacrifice of future aspirations on an issue of moral conscience, regardless how posterity judges that particular position. Kennedy et.al. demonstrate the admirable virtue of political courage through a collection of historical anecdotes of senators - some legends (Webster) and others forgotten (Ross) - across the expanse of US history.

The profiles are all crisp, lively and engaging (kudos to Sorenson!). Each is inspiring in its own way without resorting to mawkishness sentimentality. However, one should be cautioned from fully embracing each story in its entirety. For instance, the author(s) credit Kansas Senator Edmund G. Ross with single-handedly casting the vote that acquitted Andrew Johnson from impeachment charges in 1868, thus saving the executive from gross encroachment by the legislative branch. Some noted historians of the era, such as Eric Foner, note that there were a number of acquittal votes waiting in the wings to ensure that Johnson was not thrown out of office and that Ross ultimately received a number of patronage posts from the president in return for his vote, therefore undermining the notion in "Profiles" that Ross' actions was purely selfless and in the interest of the nation.

In sum, "Profiles in Courage" is a highly readable collection of anecdotes from Senatorial history with a positive, inspiring theme - regardless who wrote the book.

Rating:
Summary: The courage to do the right thing
Review: President Kennedy has managed to write a remarkable book a generation ago that still resonates today. He has explained how at various times during the nations history leaders stepped up to the plate and "did the right thing". Most of these men did not like the enemy or cause they were protecting. The President mentions frequently throughout his book how more often than not the man of courage was a bitter enemy of the man he was protecting. This book is about the American ideal. During times of crisis, somebody always comes through. All of the men paid a dear price politically. Most of them disappeared into the annuals of history and were not recognized until much later how imporant their contribution actually was to the United States. Kennedy also points out these were normal ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances. He also points out they were not all truly nice men. Many of them were arrogant demi-gods, but at that moment they rose to the occasion.

President Kennedy's book is remarkable for the fact that it shows how amazing the United States actually is. Where other countries have fallen apart because they could find their way through difficulties, the united States survived and flourished. It may be pure luck on our part, but I think it is who we are. We may not like each other much of the time, but during times of crisis we pull together as a nation. The beauty of this book is that some of the stories have been told of the great men who showed such courage when it would have been easier to go with the crowd. this book is a must read.