Senator Edwards Statement On 40th Anniversary Of John F. Kennedy's Death
Saturday, November 22, 2003
Senator Edwards Statement On 40th Anniversary Of John F. Kennedy's Death
TULSA, OK: Senator John Edwards released the following statement to mark the 40th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination:
"Forty years ago, shots rang out on Dealey Plaza, and when the news spread from schools to office buildings, down Main Streets to our own streets, the nation was still.
"America had been moving up until that moment bullets and violence took President Kennedy from the country and its citizen and the family and friends he so loved. President Kennedy inspired the nation to look toward the horizon and move with him to conquer the New Frontier. We were moving toward civil rights, improving education, addressing poverty, fighting communism, embracing public service, and we were on our way to the moon. America was moving again just as he promised. But we stopped that fateful day in Dallas, and November 22nd is a day that can stir even the cynic's soul of 'what might have been.'
"For millions of Americans, we remember where we were when we heard the news. I was at school in Thompson, Georgia, and remember those four days in November. The sorrow that blanketed the country, and the images-from the chaos in Dallas to the coffin's flight home, to the sound of muffled drums and the sight of the riderless horse, to the lighting of the eternal flame-still linger in every American who witnessed them.
"While today marks President Kennedy's passing, what lingers in all of us just as much, if not more, is his life, his service to his country, and his ability to challenge every American and make us believe that 'we can all make a difference and that each of us should try.' His life still speaks to us-to those young and old, those who were alive and those who learned about him through history. He showed us that we could embrace our government in order to get things done and reach our highest ideals. There was no cynicism-only optimism and possibilities-and he appealed to that practical dreamer that inhabits us all.
"What President Kennedy accomplished and started during his '1,000 days' are still challenges we face today. He launched Title I funding for education, and we are debating education funding for 'No Child Left Behind.' He proposed a medical care proposal in Social Security, and today Democrats are working to save Medicare. He launched the Peace Corps, and this year we worked to save AmeriCorps. He went on television and declared that civil rights is a 'moral issue,' and this year, we defended affirmative action. He faced national security concerns with the threat of communism in a nuclear age that parallels our threat of terrorism and our fight to ensure terrorists never acquire a nuclear weapon.
"On so many different issues, we have the results of what President Kennedy started and the unmet challenges that remain. But we know-thanks to his legacy-that our challenges are not insurmountable. With the belief that public service still remains a noble calling in America, we can do everything we want-it is all still possible.
"President Kennedy often quoted a line from Robert Frost-'But I have promises to keep/And miles to go before I sleep.' Our country still has miles to go, and when we conquer President Kennedy's New Frontier, we can launch a new beginning for America."