There are lots of specials regarding JFK being broadcast lately. I caught most of one on PBS last night, and it's clear that while Jack was beloved by many, there were lots of people who hated him. And of course time softens hearts, so it's likely that lots of the people who "hated" Kennedy would today say "nah, I didn't hate him, he was okay." (If you're interested, you can watch most if not all of the PBS specials online, go to pbs.org and search for JFK, I think the more in-depth ones are all part of their "American Experience" series, but there is a NOVA "cold case" one, too.)

Clearly presidents today are better protected, in part because of horrific events like Jack's assassination, and there have been arrests regarding those who've made threats or noises about attempts or plans, etc. with respect to President Obama. Given the ignorance of some and the awful history of our country with regard to race, there's little doubt that some hate the guy because he's black. (For the record, I'm no fan of Obama's, but it has nothing to do with his skin color or gender, I can't stand Schumer or Pelosi, either...not that I'm a huge fan of most career politicians...and no, I didn't vote for McCain, either.)

Ultimately, though, my question is one of just seeking thoughtful commentary and opinion.

Do you think Barack Obama is today hated more or less than John F. Kennedy was in his day?

And please, for the sake of this discussion, let's leave race out of it, because focusing on bigoted idiots isn't going to do anything more than skew the numbers.