Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History

Great reading for a Kennedy-era admirer

I've long been a student of the inner workings of politics, and the Kennedy administration in particular. This book is a great chronicle of that time, providing insight into the White House and one of Kennedy's most trusted advisors. While Sorensen admits his bias toward Kennedy, he still does his best to give an honest account of that time. I came away an ever greater admirer of Sorensen for his integrity and principles.

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Ted Sorenson, "Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History" and a defense of Camelot

Ted Sorenson was perhaps the ultimate insider in the Kennedy Whitehouse, crafting virtually all of John Kennedy's most memorable speeches. Sorenson certainly has a valuable and compelling story to tell of his 11 years with JFK from his entry into politics in the 1950s to his untimely death in November, 1963. In this book Sorenson shows himself a staunch defender of the legacy of JFK and the Camelot mystique (or myth). More than perhaps any other book on the subject, Sorenson conveys the warmth and wit of John Kennedy. But it does have its faults and limits - Sorenson's frequent lofty praise of the ideals, integrity and altruism of JFK is nearly to the point of delusion. He gives scant credence to recent critics of the policies and actions of the Kennedy administration. He notes early in the book that JFK lead a very compartmentalized life which he, Sorenson, admits to knowing only certain parts of. He does not seem to realize that this fact ultimately hurts his credibility in defending the Kennedy administration on various points. Sorenson's rather shallow coverage of other members of the Kennedy family is largely confined to his limited interactions with them. While Sorenson does delve into some of the controversies around the JFK administration, his objectivity and span of knowledge is suspect. In some cases he clearly exaggerates the accomplishments of the JFK administration such as in how JFK "boldly transformed " NASA into a successful program. In actuality, Kennedy's goal of putting a man on the moon was both hazardous and skipped a number of intermediate steps that were crucial to a long-term process of space exploration. Sorenson states repeatedly that Kennedy did not send one combat soldier into Viet Nam although this is a moot point given that US advisors in Viet Nam were routinely in combat operations and a growing number became casualties (all known to JFK). The righteous and peaceful world that Sorenson thinks would have resulted had JFK lived and been elected to a second term, as compelling as it sounds, seems less a verdict of history and more the high hopes of a unfailing JFK admirer, undiminished by the passing of over 45 years. I would strongly encourage the reader of this book to take it for what it is worth, a memoir or personal reflection of sorts, and not as an essentially history of the Kennedy years (told much better by others.)

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