JFK and Balancing Priorities
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John F. Kennedy saw his health problems not as a deterrent to becoming president but as a challenge he enjoyed overcoming. Kennedy never lost sight of the limitations and frustrations that presidents often face. He wrote in 1963 that “Every president must endure a gap between what he would like and what is possible.” Kennedy also made note of FDR’s observation that Lincoln was often sad because “he couldn’t get it all at once. And nobody can.” Kennedy remained steadfast to his larger hopes and goals - less poverty in America, better race relations, and improved East-West relations. However, he noted that it was the immediate daily challenges that stood in the way of the more overarching designs and larger priorities.