Is Barack Obama The Heir To JFK's Legacy?

Barack Obama has none too subtle about wanting us to believe he is the heir to John F. Kennedy's legacy. The Obama campaign's latest maneuver to promote this linkage has surfaced in the planning for the senator's upcoming trip to Europe and the Middle East. The campaign has made a request of the German government for Obama to speak in front of the Brandenburg Gate, the site of JFK's famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, and Ronald Reagan's powerful and prescient "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." speech.

German Chancellor Merkel has made known her reluctance to grant Barack Obama's request. Kennedy and Reagan were both statesman when they made their seminal speeches. Barack Obama is a tourist by comparison.

Is Barack Obama the heir to the Kennedy legacy? Like Kennedy, Barack Obama is a young and charismatic politician with a gift for oratory. Both are Democrats. Unfortunately for Barack Obama, the comparison ends there.

Kennedy served full terms in both the House of Representatives and the Senate before launching his candidacy for President. Barack Obama has served only a partial term in the U.S. Senate. His legislative record is so scant that his TV commercials cite legislation he voted for as an Illinois state senator.

As President, John F. Kennedy was a pro-growth Democrat who cut taxes, creating a surge in the economy and greatly increasing tax revenues to the federal government as a result. Barack Obama is against policies that promote economic growth and instead supports protectionism, exclusionary union agendas and austerity.

President Kennedy experienced the horrors of war in WWII and was a strong advocate for national defense. Obama has piled up a number of unfortunate statements that highlight his naivety when it comes to global matters and national defense.

Standing in front of the Brandenburg Gate will not change the fact that Barack Obama and John F. Kennedy could not be more different in terms of experience and policies. Today, Kennedy's pro-growth and strong defense policies would make him a Republican.

The candidate for this year's presidential campaign that would govern the most like John F. Kennedy: John McCain.