The Democratic Party lost its manliness: Shortly before he was assassinated, President Kennedy gave a speech in Dallas where he boasted about how much the military had been built up in three years of his administration. I watched a clip of his speech, and as a child of the 80s, it still surprises me to see a Democrat who sends out a John Wayne vibe. While the Dems who have opposed the Iraq War happen to be on the right side of the issue, up against Kennedy, one cannot help but conclude that the Democratic Party lost its manliness somewhere along the way.