Kennedy and War

In his inaugural address, Kennedy espouses support of peace and of freedom, and calls war a common enemy to man. It seems to me as if he would, given this address, take a less active military stance in foreign affairs -- more negotiations, less battles. However, some of his first actions as president are covert operations deemed by some as "acts of war." Is he contradicting himself in these actions? Or is he taking violent steps now to promote peace in the long term? In evaluating decision making, it is hard to distinguish between the immediate and long term ramifications of actions taken. It is hard to evaluate the means in the context of the ends. In order to make sense of complex decisions, such as the decision to invade at the Bay of Pigs, I think it is necessary to look at the grand scheme of things, the bigger picture, before passing judgement on any action.