Free The Kennedy Half-Century by Larry J. Sabato Page B

Cawthorne, Ann Laurence Baumer, Joseph Wilkinson, Brian Wilson, and Michael Bugas. Other students who made significant contributions were Andrew McGee, Aaron Flynn, Whitney Armstrong, Joe Wiley, Jeff Young, Tyler Matuella, Ethan Thrasher, Justin Lee, Scott Tilton, Michael Pugliese, Randy Pearson, Kasey Sease, and Reed Arnold.
    The home base for this book project was the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, whose staff assisted us in countless ways. First mention must go to Kenneth Stroupe, the Center’s associate director, whose hard work and creativity stitched together the pieces of the project in brilliant fashion. His patient, thorough work with the National Archives and on the evidence we have obtained of the assassination has been exceptionally diligent and creative. Also supporting the book in various vital ways were Mary Daniel Brown, Nyshaé Carter, Glenn Crossman, Joseph Figueroa, Geoffrey Skelley, Bruce Vlk, and Isaac Wood. Deb Maren and Donna Packard carefully transcribed interviews for us. Kyle Kondik, a daily generator of good ideas, proposed some gems we quickly adopted, and he served as a keen in-house critic of my arguments. A special shout-out to my executive assistant Tim Robinson, who performed many roles, not least keeping me on schedule and running interference as deadlines loomed.
    No one has ever had a more caring, enthusiastic publisher than I have in George Gibson of Bloomsbury. George was as determined as my team to make this project all that it could be. Years ago, I was told that George was “one of the real gentlemen of New York publishing,” and the description has proved completely accurate. He was so termed by my able agents, Susan Rabiner and Sydelle Kramer of the Susan Rabiner Literary Agency. In that spirit, I declare them to be two of the real ladies of their field. The Bloomsbury team is unmatched, and I thank Cristina Gilbert, director of marketing and publicity, Laura Gianino, publicist, Laura Keefe, director of adult marketing, Marie Coolman, director of adult publicity, Megan Ernst, marketing associate, Nathaniel Knaebel, managing editor, and Emily DeHuff, copy editor. I also wish to thank Gene Taft, owner of GTPR, for his tireless promotional efforts.
    Over the course of this lengthy undertaking, we have endeavored to be fair at every juncture, taking care not to be “captured” by any interest group or camp (pro-Kennedy, anti-Kennedy, Kennedy family, the factions supporting various assassination theories, and so on). No doubt many of the people upon whom we relied for information will disagree with some of my observations,and inevitably, despite our best efforts, some errors of fact and interpretation remain in this volume. For all of these, I take the customary responsibility. For now, I can only hope that the book is worthy of the wholehearted efforts given by all the people acknowledged here.
    Larry J. Sabato
Director, Center for Politics
University Professor of Politics
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
June 2013

Conclusion: A Flame Eternal?
Hello darkness, my old friend ,
I’ve come to talk with you again .
    — PAUL SIMON, “THE SOUND OF SILENCE,” WRITTEN IN THE MONTHS FOLLOWING JFK’S ASSASSINATION 1
    Those who remember November 22, 1963, cannot escape the darkness of a moment that has haunted us for fifty years. Most recall every second of the frequently replayed, silent home movies that recorded John Kennedy’s last living ride through Dallas. “In the naked light” of a bright Texas sun at noontime we forever see, as Paul Simon did in his assassination-inspired song, the motorcade passing on Dallas streets, “ten thousand people, maybe more—people talking without speaking.” It is a nightmare that will never be erased from our national consciousness. The lingering, gnawing questions about the assassination reinforce our inability to forget. The seeds of modern cynicism were planted that day, and their bitter fruit has left us