Capital Review

New presidents often find themselves tested early in their administration; their performance is revealing to allies and enemies alike.

JFK’s failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba and subsequent summit with Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev, about which Kennedy remarked, “He just beat the hell out of me!” led the Russians to believe they could place nuclear missiles in Cuba. The ensuing “Cuban missile crisis” brought the USA and USSR to the brink of nuclear war.

By contrast, Ronald Reagan’s firing of 11,000 air traffic controllers who illegally went on strike eight months into his first term indic...