Richard Nixon was a better president than John F. Kennedy

(I'll extend your definition of the word better; by better president, I mean that he accomplished more to improve the situation of the country diplomatically, economically, and socially while in office.) I argue that Richard Nixon was a better president than John F. Kennedy based on his long list of accomplishments in all areas of the political spectrum. These include: 1. Foreign Policy a.) Opening trade and diplomatic relations with China b.) Ending U.S. involvement in Vietnam c.) Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with the Soviet Union in 1972 as well as Cold War detente policy 3. Advancing environmental protection by creating the Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as introducing numerous bills to Congress in this area (including the Clean Air Act and the National Environmental Policy Act). 4. Ending the draft 5. Women's rights (Title IX) 6. Civil rights a.) Affirmative Action legislation; Philadelphia Plan b.) Strongly enforced desegregation in Southern schools I'll get a bit more detailed on some of the most important ones. Visit to China Nixon's historic visit to China in 1972 initiated closer diplomatic relations with the most populous country in the world and one of the most powerful. It established the mutually beneficial trade that still goes on between the two countries today and is widely acclaimed as Nixon's greatest achievement. Vietnam When it became clear that the war was a lost cause, he began the policy of Vietnamization to replace American soldiers with South Vietnamese ones in order to pull out of Vietnam. The war war hotly protested at the time as more than 300 Americans were dying per week with little being accomplished, with no end in sight. He also ended the draft in 19 Environmental protection Nixon's support of environmental protection was unprecedented, and the consensus today is that the environment is in a much better shape than it would have been without his policies. His Environmental Protection Agency cut down on pollution that was detrimental to the nation's industrial areas in the decades preceding him. Title IX This bit of legislation stopped schools from discriminating against women and girls in sports and other publicly funded activities. This is known as the law that revolutionized women's sports. President Nixon accomplished more during his presidency than most. The list goes on and on, and all of these far-reaching achievements are still relevant today and are seen as positive improvements made by Nixon and his administration. Now let's compare him to President Kennedy. As a conservative Republican, Nixon was under constant scrutiny by the liberal media, who, according to columnist Peter Bloch, "saw themselves as the last bastion of defense of our very freedoms against the Nixon administration"s onslaught." Conversely, the mainstream media during the Kennedy years was too busy fawning over the Camelot fanfare and the "American Royal Family." While this does not reflect any fault of Kennedy himself, it explains why he and his relatively ineffective time as president are given such a generous analysis. Handsome, rosy-eyed, and popular do not make a president. I mean no disrespect by this, but his assassination and and the mystery surrounding it has contributed to his being lauded as an American hero, and without that factor, he would be remembered as a simply mediocre president. I will allow my opponent to list what he considers to be Kennedy's most significant accomplishments in office and offer my rebuttals in the next round.