Thomas Daschle: “In his commencement address at Syracuse University in 1957, Senator John F. Kennedy called American politics one of this…”

“In his commencement address at Syracuse University in 1957, Senator John F. Kennedy called American politics one of this country's ``most neglected, most abused, and most ignored professions.'' ``As one who is familiar with the political world,'' Senator Kennedy told the graduates: ``We stand in serious need of the fruits of your education. Bear in mind, as you leave this university and consider the road ahead, not the sneers of the cynics or the fears of the purists.'' Instead, he urged us to bear in mind that politics has been a home as well as a noble career to America's best and brightest. In the early days of our Republic, there were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and George Mason, to name but a few. John Kennedy had a way of making you feel good about yourself as well as your country, and he inspired many of us to look for ways to serve our country to preserve its strengths and address its weaknesses. This is one of the reasons so many of us look back on the Kennedy administration with fondness and respect, and with a knowledge that we, as individuals, and we, as a country, are forever indebted to President Kennedy for nurturing that spirit.”