A
PRESIDENT LIKE MY FATHER-
By CAROLINE KENNEDY-OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me
they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way
people did when my father was
president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.
My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined.
All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives,
that they got involved in public service or
politics because he asked
them to. And the generation he inspired has passed that spirit
on to its children. I meet young people who were born long after John
F. Kennedy was president, yet who ask me how to live out his ideals.
Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special
ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our
highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In
those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put
aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.
We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama. It isn’t that the
other candidates are not experienced or knowledgeable. But this year,
that may not be enough. We need a change in the leadership of this
country — just as we did in 1960.And Senator Obama is showing the same qualities today.
He has built a movement that is changing the face of politics in this
country, and he has demonstrated a special gift for inspiring young
people — known for a willingness to volunteer, but an aversion to
politics — to become engaged in the political process Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parents’ grandchildren, with that sense of possibility.
Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign.I want a president who understands that his responsibility is to
articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it; who holds
himself, and those around him, to the highest ethical standards; who
appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American Dream. I have never had a
president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father
inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man
who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation
of Americans.