Had the private conservative group erased the only copy of President Kennedy's tax speech, that act of destruction would deserve vehemently angry reactions from the Kennedys-just as the Taliban's its wonton destruction is getting deserved condemnation. That, however, is not what happened in the case at-hand and Mr. Krauthammer notes the overkill of the reaction by means of hyperbole. One can defame President Kennedy's memory, debate his contribution to society, and question his place in history. One may even use his words in an advertisement, but no one commits sacrilege by doing so. Hyperbole, here, consists of comparing the radio advertisement to the profaning of God.
Exaggeration drives that point home.
Later in his column, however, Mr. Krauthammer repeats some hyperbole that attached itself to President Kennedy almost forty years ago and then became a part of the Kennedy folklore. Martyred he was. But regarding the political use of his official record, that is an irrelevancy. Like all other presidents, Kennedy left a record. It belongs to all Americans.