Charlie Rose

Miranda  10/23/2008 05:46 AM Report

Hey, i'm having a project about John F. Kennedy.

And I'd like to interview Ted Sørensen! Or just get his e-mail..

(if you dont know it was Ted who wrote JFK's speeches. )

I'm from Denmark. Ted is too.. Thats why it could be awesome if i got his email or something else..

Please answer me as quick as possible! :D

by the way; great interview!

Tom Routledge  05/29/2008 04:45 AM Report

Canadians rejoice at the prospect of having the world's greatest democracy (and our wonderful neighbor) about to return to the ideals and wisdom of the Kennedy/Sorensen years. It's almost as if "Bobby is back" (to those of us who had our dreams trashed twice in the 60's) with the likely prospect of having Senator Obama elected as President.

Charley, you have captured in your interview with this great American intellectual, statesman and idealist the things that we once dreamed of. It's interesting that Sorensen was one of the earliest endorsers of Sen. Obama's bid for the Presidency. The years and decades seem to have made him even wiser. Thanks, Charley - you and PBS are permanent fixtures in this Northern outpost (Vancouver, BC).

m. grammar  05/28/2008 05:44 AM Report

Ted Sorensen is my kind of librial and I hope many of his ideal are adopted by the younger democrats. Obama are you listening? Great interview Charles!

Cary Chrysler  05/27/2008 09:15 AM Report

I can't wait...Greatness once again in the White House.

JStewart  05/27/2008 01:43 AM Report

Wow how this man has been blinded by the Kennedy charm. That "car accident" he mentioned resulted in the death of an innocent woman. I guess Mr. Sorensen was by the bedside to build the words to justify Kennedy's actions of neglience.

He really is an idealist. His blinders perhaps were bought out of his Nebraska naiveté. He states he does not comment on the Kennedy behavior or lack of moral compass but Mr. Sorensen writes the words that influence opinion to redirect away from their behaior outcomes.

Yes Texas made a difference. That's why Kennedy came to Dallas. Texas Republicians were needed if Kennedy was going to re-elect. He needed LBJ to get the votes and then brushed him aside.

ubuibiok  05/25/2008 11:47 PM Report

I agree with all of his Foreign issues but there are 2 sides to the presidential coin.

Or even to better an idolagy that uses the "Base of the Pyramid" strategie put forth on 14-Apr-2005 | ABN AMRO Headquarters, Amsterdam | Speech by Agnes van Ardenne - Minister for Development Cooperation.

Americans need to know how to rebuild a Manufacturing Base because a Nations Strength is not in consuming things but in making them.

Those are the issues that should be included in a exceptance speech.

Randi J  04/26/2008 05:07 PM Report

Loved this interview, What a classy man Ted Sorensen is. He tells it like it is and has the intellect to back it up. We need to ask ourselves how the current yahoos garnered the presidency or aspire to garner the presidency when men like Sorensen live, work and breathe in this country. How have we moved from true leaders to conservative plastic men? Is it because of the 10-second sound bite? Charlie Rose's show is one of the few media choices Americans can use to really get under all the hype.

Ruth E  01/29/2008 10:43 AM Report

I missed this wonderful interview with Ted Sorensen and was so pleased to find it just now - I also miss being proud of my President and the greatness that surrounded him.....Mr. Sorensen is one of the most intelligent men of our times and I am so glad to hear his voice and know that he is endorsing Senator Obama.

Marcus  09/13/2007 01:56 AM Report

I still cannot believe this man is nearly 80 years old! I don't believe I've ever seen such a good-looking 78, 79-year-old in my life!

I love the last 3 minutes of this interview. This man is absolutely right about Senator Obama and his Judgement...It's what we need more than any of these candidates with poor judgement such as Clinton, Edwards, Biden, and Dodd, while they try to tout their "experience".

By the way, and what exactly is Sen. Clinton's experience?????

Gina  09/07/2007 01:32 AM Report

LOL, well I would have to agree. JFK never wanted the Vietnam war. Just as it is said that the Iraq war is Cheney's war. So was the Vietnam war tagged as Johnson's war. Kennedy never wanted to go into Vietnam, but Johnson did. So badly did he want that war that Johnson broke into Social Security for the first time in history to siphon monies off to pay for that war which as you know cost him any possible chance of winning the next election. He declined to run again because he knew he couldn't win. The Bay of Pigs was a foolish mistake but then again so was the Spanish-American war a mistake because Mckinely had already received word from his Ambassador that Spain agreed to pull out of Cuba but hence when the USS Maine Ship blew up in Havana Harbor myteriously and causing 268 deaths. The war was on anyway despite Spain agreeing to pull out of Cuba. C'est la vie!

Roger  09/07/2007 12:30 AM Report

Jessie, JFK adopted the Bay of Pigs strategy, which was a stillborn military action that had about as much chance of succeeding as turning Iraq into a beacon of democracy. As for Vietnam, JFK died before he could really set a course for Vietnam. 10,000 troops were in Vietnam at Kennedy's death. You could hardly lay that fiasco at JFK's feet. Kennedy had his faults. He moved too slowly on civil rights. He was too obsessed with Castro. He had a weakness for women with big boobs (but, hey, it beats tapping toes in a men's bathroom stall). But JFK was head and shoulders above all of the presidents who have come after him.

John W. Larson  09/05/2007 03:30 PM Report

I did not see the whole interview, but I am usually intrigued when Ted Sorenson has something to say. That's because President Kennedy is my personal hero and the last true leader this country has had. Ever since then you ask? I say, just a bunch of figure heads making speeches to support the views and/or programs of big oil, the military-industrial complex (IKE warned us about) or special interests groups, depending upon the political party they got elected under.

But, I must say, the one thing about the interview which concerned was Mr. Sorensons's reluctance to speak his mind about who killed his late boss, and more importantly, his good friend JFK. Mr. Rose pressed him firmly for an answer (thank you for that Mr. Rose) on his true belief, but Mr. Sorenson seemed to almost pull a muscle refraining from doing so.

I just don't understand the reluctance of those in power, close to it, or those in the media, want to close their eyes on that ugly moment in our history. It is as though a type of mental retardation sets in. That event on Elm Street in Dallas, TX changed government policy 180 degrees, with the exception of Civil Rights (a movement which could not be stopped by that criminal LBJ). It also sent our country into a downward spiral of violence, distrust of government, and an indifference, in general, to all things good, compassionate, or, at the very least, forward thinking.

For Ted Sorenson, or anyone with a brain stem, to say that "no proof of anything other than a lone gunman killing Kennedy exists" is a slap in the face to all thinking human beings and certainly to those who have studied his death and additional mayhem which followed it.

Unless the truth about that day is finally exposed and those involved in President Kennedy's assassination (that are still alive) are punished; this country will never move ahead as we were during JFK's tenure. Nor, for that matter, will we be looked upon by the rest of the world as the country to be respected and followed. Our enemies hate us, and our allies laugh at us.

Mr. Sorenson, I beg of you, as an articulate and compassionate man. You've stood quite as the media and others have assassinated his character since President Kennedy died. If you really loved your friend John F. Kennedy, please help for him to finally receive the justice his killing and his memory deserves. The justice of a king, and not of a pauper....

jessie  09/04/2007 04:28 PM Report

Judgement:

What kind of judgment was the Bay of Pigs and getting involved in Viet Nam? It's amazing someone with a close attachment to Viet Nam would be giving advice on Iraq.

Talking with your enemies:

Bush's approach to dealing with North Korea seems to be working OK.

Confusion:

First, Ted said he was not endorsing anyone when writing the speech. Then he said he didn't know much about Obama. Then, he said you're right I'm endorsing him. (Obama) Well, there's no doubt Ted's a Democrat. :)

Dan  09/04/2007 06:14 AM Report

Andy: It sounded like the rational view to me.

D. Luftig  09/03/2007 07:52 PM Report

Great Interview. If only we would have pursued talks and negotiations with our enemies, before we invaded Iraq as we did during the Cuban Missile Crises. Perhaps we could have avoided the loss of thousands of lives and billions of dollars.

Andy this is obviously way over your head. Go listen to your buddy Rush and continue to think like a lemming.

Andy   09/03/2007 12:01 PM Report

another liberal giving us the liberal view.

Andy   09/03/2007 12:01 PM Report

another liberal giving us the liberal view

Jess Arambula  09/02/2007 06:14 PM Report

Absolutely brilliant interview. This should interview should be given widespread exposure, Mr. Sorenson is absolutley insightful into the candidacy of Barak Obama and his comparison with JFK. I for one am absolutley convinced that Senator Obama is our only hope, and Mr. Sorenson is correct in what he would want the next president to state unequivocaly what steps he would take immediately to change our country's course.

Please send me a transcript of this interview. What issue of The New Republic was his article published in?

POLpursun  09/02/2007 02:01 PM Report

Mr. Sorenson was spot on re Mr. Obama. It is incongruous that, in light of a juxtaposition of Mr. Obama's October 26, 2002 speech with that which has transpired in Iraq, March 2003 to present, his opponents can successfully tag him with inexperience and naivete. Indeed they should not want to draw attention to the clear facts by even raising the issue. Nevertheless, according to the polls, it's working. If it does, this would be a lost opportunity for real positive change from the status quo and conventional wisdom.

Juanito Ferrer  09/02/2007 12:57 PM Report

Excellent interview, very insightful and full of perspective. This also confirms my support for Obama....what this beloved nation of mine needs is a man with good judgement and values, and Senator Obama has proven he has both.

Ann Spaulding  09/02/2007 03:06 AM Report

Sorensen's insights are blessedly full of wisdom - so refreshing. I would like to point out that there is another candidate who had the excellent judgement to oppose the Iraq war - Dennis Kucinich. Charlie, when are you going to give Dennis a fair go and interview him?

Terri  09/01/2007 10:49 PM Report

Excellent interview. This country would do well to listen to this man and turn off the political and media spin machines.

There is a reason why I haven't been so moved by a candidate since the Kennedys as I have been with Obama. This kind of leadership may be even more crucial today and for the country's sake, I hope the American people wake up and inform themselves enough to recognize it.

Stephen Grogg  09/01/2007 09:41 PM Report

An elegant interview with an elegant and wonderfully gifted man. Thank you Charlie. I as well would like a transcript sent by e-mail when convenient.

Steve S.  09/01/2007 09:13 PM Report

I wish that the interview was for the whole hour. It is refreshing to hear wisdom in regards to foreign policy. Thank you Charlie.

Emilie, WA State  09/01/2007 08:06 PM Report

WOW! I transcribed some of it:

Charlie Rose: Iâ??m holding in my hand The New Republic, â??Ted Sorenson worked with John F. Kennedy for eleven years, first as his senatorial assistant then to the White House as Special Counsel and advisor to the President. Now he is working on his memoir. Air Time: Is Barack Obama the next JFK?â?? Is he?

Ted Sorensen: I donâ??t compare their character; I donâ??t know that much about Obamaâ??s character. I donâ??t compare their skills, their families. I compare their candancies.

I got angry when people kept saying â??Obama is too youngâ??, â??heâ??s too inexperiencedâ?? and â??besides his heritage has excluded him from serious consideration for the presidencyâ??, because that is exactly what they were saying about Kennedy 50 years ago.

I spoke in Chicago last month and they told me it was 50 years to the day since JFK had spoken there in the early part of the 50 state tour he and I went on. He wasnâ??t even 40 years old that particular day, and he was a first term Senator. Obama is 45 and he has a wealth of experience.

Yes, they said Kennedy lost his chance for the presidency the day he was born and baptized as a Catholic, they say Obama lost his chance for the Presidency the day he was born a black American. Well that is nonsense, and Kennedy proved that it is nonsense.

Rose: But if those who oppose his candidacy either because they are candidates or they support another candidate and say he is not prepared to be president on the first day which is something that Senator Clinton says about herself â??ready on day one.â?? You say â?? Barack Obama is as ready as any of the other candidates to be president on day oneâ???

Sorensen: Maybe more so, because what counts most (and I rediscovered this writing my own book about the years with Kennedy) what counts most in a president is not experience. Cheney and Rumsfeld had experience. What counts most is not his position on particular issues because issues come and go. What counts most is judgment. It was judgment that brought us through the Cuban missile crisis. It was Kennedyâ??s judgment that enabled us to send a man to the moon. It was judgment that turned this country around on civil rights. Well, Obama demonstrated his judgment a long time ago when, before the war in Iraq had even been launched, he opposed it and predicted exactly what would happen.

Compare that judgment to those candidates who voted FOR the war in Iraq, the single most disastrous foreign policy mistake in the history of this country and people who voted for it are questioning Obama, for being ready???!

Harry Truman made the mistake of saying Kennedy wasnâ??t ready on national TV, all that did was give him a chance to appear for free on equal time rules on those days on national television to describe why he was ready.

Rose: (reads from Sorensen article in the New Republic) This is the last paragraph:

â??Above all, after eight years of power and two bitter defeats, Democrats in 1960 like today, wanted a winner and Kennedy, despite his supposed handicaps was a winner. Civil Rights, the Cuban missile crisis, the race to the moon, and other issues. President Kennedy succeeded by demonstrating the same courage, imagination, compassion, judgment, and ability to lead and unite a troubled country that he had shown during his presidential campaign. I believe Obama will do the same.â??

Rose: That is an endorsement I read.

Sorensen: Youâ??re right; Iâ??m endorsing him (Obama).

June H. Brown  09/01/2007 02:40 PM Report

When the transcript of your interview with Ted Sorenson is available, please forward it to my e-mail address; I will forward it to several others.

The Obama campaign should know of if, and I will forward it to them. This younger generation of politicians may--or may not--fully comprehend the significance of this endorsement for the Obama campaign.

Many thanks for your fine work.

DOLORES A.  09/01/2007 02:04 PM Report

I would love to have a printed transcript of the 8/31/2007 interview w/ Ted Sorensen.

Please e-mail me when availabe. It was wonderful as expected of all your interviews.

S.Preston, MD  09/01/2007 01:44 PM Report

Would love to see Ted Sorensen in the next administration redefining our image and foreign policy. Bush/Cheney legacy is frightening. Also, get the link up on your site as many of us would like to view it again or forward it to others. Ted Sorensen had a refreshing clarity of purpose and vision for America to regain our sense of security and desired place in world politics.

Scott Vickers  09/01/2007 10:01 AM Report

Wonderful interview. Sorensen is brilliant.

Martha Menard  09/01/2007 02:36 AM Report

I can't find your August 31 2007 conversation with Sorensen! It was wonderful, and I need to circulate it. Please send me information about how and where to find it! It's really IMPORTANT.

Thanks.

Ronald Kertzner  09/01/2007 01:32 AM Report

Bravo. A superb interview with Ted Sorensen.

Thanks you.