Love Letters of Camelot........

As I write this post, they are auctioning the love letters, handwritten, of John F. Kennedy to Gunilla von Post. I read through them. I had to do it. I am a lover of all things Kennedy.


Gunnila von Post


Actual photocopy of one of the letters being auctioned(no idea I was such a geek, huh? Only about hot former president's, I promise)

He met her just before he married Jackie. Pursued her while he was a Senator. Their affair, as it were, which was very brief and consisted of more letters than time together, was over long before his presidential bid ever began. It does eliminate the question for those who have said that he merely became ravenous of women once he had ultimate power.

Make no mistake, Jack was never in love with Jackie. She was never who he wanted to be with in life. She was the woman his father decided would get him to the top. So Jack accepted this as his fate, most of the time, on occasion he would go to his father, plead his case for divorce when he would fall in love with one of his dalliances, be denied, berated, reminded of the bigger picture and fall back into line. Meanwhile, Jackie would do, well, whatever it was Jackie did while Jack dallied.

What. The. Fuck. This is where I get very frustrated and torn. I respect John F. Kennedy immensely as a President. Much the same as (and flame me for this if you wish, I give a fuck less) I respect Bill Clinton immensely as a President. Would I tolerate either of them as a husband, Hell NO! But, one skill set has very little, in fact virtually nothing, to do with the other.

I also respect the post JFK Jackie Kennedy Onassis, as do I feel Hillary Rodham Clinton is a woman who has shown incredible strength, backbone and intelligence in the face of great adversity. How can two women who had husbands who so publicly and flagrantly betrayed them also show such strength and poise? One answer is these women knew they were entering into political marriages. Oh, you heard me, take off your rose colored glasses and follow me into the seedy little rabbit hole.

A political marriage is a marriage of an entirely different nature. This I do know. I know some politicians. Some who fell into politics late, who were married to people they love long before politics were thought of, others, well, political potential was a factor in their mate. So, how does that work, now your rank is factored by age, sexual performance, beauty, and political assistance potential. No pressure there. What man is worth that? Especially when it seems virtually every politician coming and going these days is cumming and going.

There are the women who you fall in love with and there are the women who look wholesome and warm and like they would sit down at your kitchen table and listen to your problems. Understand this now, these guys have multi-billion dollar corporations begging them for favors, does Ms. Wholesome handing them a muffin when they get home keep them satisfied? Or, even worse, reminding them they need to be home early tomorrow because her mother will be in town. Even on a state level, they already have mistresses. Well, assuming that they are truly into females, which they may or may not be. Assuming, also, that they are male, which they may or may not be and yes, this does work in reverse for the females, they are just as likely to be sleeping with their aids, interns and assistants as the males, no one goes blameless or untouched, or at least very few do, with the rare exceptions of those who entered into the game late, because they felt passionately about something and were already grounded in life.

You show me a lifelong politician, I will show you a politician who knows how to win elections, knows how to get policies passed, make things happen and has cheated on their spouse at least once for a long period of time or repeatedly with a string of partners. I'm not hating nor am I just headline jumping, I'm just stating an inside view factoid.

By the way, my dear conservative friends who are shaking your heads and saying, "That's those liberals who do that." Ummm, building a house of cards is a very risky thing, and the foundation yours is built on is just made of cards, people from political families, very flawed people, people who have already fallen in so many ways, men who have been found in public bathrooms seeking sexual favors from other men, people who have histories of addictions. So, let us remember those houses can fall so easily and with such a swiftness, one unexpected breeze. Besides, Cindy McCain was scary!!!! So, I am giving you that John clearly married for love.

The political world is full of A type personalities. Controlling, strong, organized, overseers. They have to be, they are used to having their needs catered to at a whim. It's part of the deal. You are surrounded by a staff who meets you before you get into your office telling you who has called, who needs to see you, who has requested some of your time, what has gone wrong and who is trying to fix it, who is mad at you and who is planning to kiss your ass at what time. That's before your actual scheduled day begins. It's stressful. You have an entire constituency who is relying on you to help them and believe it or not, most of them really do remember that. Somewhere along the way, someone is going to stop and just ask how they are or tell them they really look nice. That is about all it takes. Because once you become a politician, everyone suddenly wants something from you and every conversation revolves around your political career. This especially includes that wisely chosen political spouse. (now you're picking up what I'm laying down) So, yeah, you look nice today is suddenly giving you an instant hard on because it's the sexiest thing anyone has said to you in a month. Next thing you know, you're fucking the intern.
Does that make it okay, only you, your spouse and apparently, the American media, get to decide that.

Back to my point, which I really strayed from, being John F Kennedy and his love letters. http://legendaryauctions.com/LotDetail.aspx?lotid=106663 You can view them here if you are interested. I think love letters are a beautiful thing, the idea of one sitting down with pen in hand and attempting to write their feeling for another person on paper where they will be forever etched. Certainly these letters are not on par with anything you will find in a volume of great love letters of our time. I am rather glad, considering their clandestine context.

So, here is the thing I asked myself as we have been having this Alpha/Beta talk so much on my little blog lately. Was JFK an Alpha, as his affairs would indicate? No, not in his letters to Gunnila, he showed far too much vulnerability, tenderness, almost desperation in his need and desire to see this woman who, until meeting her again after months and only 9 pieces of correspondence, he had shared only an evening of dancing and a kiss. Granted it was a moonlit kiss under the Mediterranean skies. But no Alpha would send handwritten love letters pleading with a woman to see him again given his position in life. No, he was definitely not an Alpha when dealing with his father. He certainly displayed Alpha traits when dealing with his wife. He displayed Alpha traits when he was POTUS. Clearly, he was a combination.


Something about him, he looks pretty Alpha there

Oddly, I never find myself less intrigued or desirous of more information about the Kennedy family when I find new things. I just devour it. Dissect it. Then continue to seek out more. I never read the so-called tell all books by former lovers or insiders. I stick to the historical recounting. The things that can be proven. Things such as these letters.

What fascinates you?