RFK

I'm looking forward to the new film Bobby - about the day Robert Kennedy was assassinated. (Due for UK release Jan 26th).

I'm an RFK fan - I think he was the greater loss of the two brothers. The Kennedy charisma lives on and interestingly in this country appears to cross the political divide. I know politicians of all three main parties who are Kennedy "fans". The imperfections of course add to their appeal. The parallels between the sixties and this decade (a divisive war, major social change, the shadow of a global threat) makes it timely to revive the myths.

I recommend Evan Thomas's biography
The recordings of his speeches.

Try this famous passage:
"The gross national product includes air pollution and advertising for cigarettes, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors, and jails for the people who break them.

"The gross national product includes the destruction of the redwoods and the death of Lake Superior. It grows with the production of napalm and missiles with nuclear warheads....
"And if the gross national product includes all this, there is much that it does not comprehend. It does not allow for the health of our families, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It is indifferent to the decency of our factories and the safety of streets alike. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials....
"The gross national product measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to country. It measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile"

Great political rhetoric, whether you agree with the sentiment or not...