|
| President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, pause during a wreath laying ceremony in honor of President John F. Kennedy, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013, at the JFK gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Friday will mark the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination. |
WASHINGTON
(AP) -- Honoring the legacy of John F. Kennedy, President Barack Obama
laid a wreath at the assassinated president's gravesite as a nation
remembers that terrible day in Dallas a half-century ago Friday. Obama
also recognized a group of distinguished Americans - including Bill
Clinton and Oprah Winfrey - with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, an
award created by Kennedy.
Obama was joined at
Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday by Clinton, and each president
held h
ands with Ethel Kennedy, widow of Robert F. Kennedy, as they
climbed a flight of stairs to the burial site on a steep hillside
overlooking the nation's capital.
First lady
Michelle Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
helped their husbands place a large wreath of white flowers in front of
the roped-off gravesite of America's 35th president, which is marked by
an ever-burning flame.
Both couples placed
their hands over their hearts as taps sounded near a U.S. flag at
half-staff before greeting Kennedy relatives, including some who arrived
in Obama's motorcade, before Friday's 50th anniversary of the
assassination.
The day of tributes began at
the White House, where Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
to 16 living and deceased Americans for their contributions in fields
ranging from sports and entertainment to science and public service.
"These
are the men and women who in their extraordinary lives remind us all of
the beauty of the human spirit, the values that define us as Americans,
the potential that lives inside of all of us," Obama said.
Hillary
Rodham Clinton, daughter Chelsea Clinton and film director Steven
Spielberg were among scores of people seated in the White House East
Room for the ceremony, which Obama said is "one of my favorite events
every year."
Kennedy established the modern
version of the medal but was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas on
Nov. 22, 1963, weeks before he was to honor the inaugural group of
recipients. Hundreds of notable figures since have received the honor.
Obama
continued to lionize the slain president Wednesday evening at a dinner
honoring the medal's recipients. At the Smithsonian's National Museum of
American History, Obama was introduced by Kennedy's grandson, Jack
Schlossberg, whose mother, Caroline Kennedy, is Obama's newly confirmed
ambassador to Japan.
"He reminded us that
everyone has the capacity to explore, to imagine and to give back to our
great nation no matter the path we choose," the younger Kennedy said of
his grandfather.
Obama said Kennedy stays in
America's imagination not because he was assassinated, but because he
embodied the character of the people he led. He said Kennedy was defiant
in the face of impossible odds and determined to make the world anew.
"This
is a legacy of a man who could have retreated to a life of luxury and
ease, but he chose to live a life in the arena," Obama said. "Sailing
sometimes against the wind, sometimes with it."
At
the awards ceremony Wednesday morning, Obama said a few words about
each recipient. Of Clinton, he said the Arkansas Democrat's presidency
marked just the start of his work to make the world a better place,
crediting his post-presidency humanitarian efforts as helping to save or
improve the lives of millions
worldwide.
"I'm
grateful, Bill, as well, for the advice and counsel that you've offered
me, on and off the golf course,"
Obama said to chuckles.
As
a teenager, Bill Clinton shook hands with Kennedy in the Rose Garden
the summer before the assassination when he and other high school
students in the Boys Nation program came to Washington.
Obama
said the late Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, didn't
just break the stratospheric glass ceiling. "She blasted right through
it," becoming a role model for young girls, he said.
"You
can't be what you can't see," Obama said. "Today our daughters,
including Malia and Sasha, can set their sights a little bit higher
because Sally Ride showed them the way."
Receiving the award for Ride, who died last year, was Tam O'Shaughnessy, who was introduced as Ride's life partner.
The
president made a point of highlighting those who had overcome
additional obstacles and stigmatization because they are gay, black,
female or Asian. He noted that early in her career, Oprah Winfrey's
bosses suggested she change her name to something more relatable.
"It turned out, surprisingly, that people could relate to Oprah just fine," Obama said.
Another
Kennedy relative expected at the dinner was former diplomat Jean
Kennedy Smith, also past medal recipient and John F. Kennedy's only
surviving sibling.
On Friday's assassination
anniversary, Obama plans to meet privately at the White House with
leaders and volunteers from the Peace Corps program, also established by
Kennedy.
The Clintons' presence at Kennedy's
gravesite was sure to spark speculation about whether Obama has a
favorite in the 2016 race to succeed him.
Every
move by the former secretary of state is being scrutinized for signs of
whether she'll run. Vice President Joe Biden, another potential
candidate, attended only the White House ceremony.
