Not even close

Americans think John F. Kennedy was one of our greatest presidents. He wasn’t.

"It tells us a great deal about the meaning of John F. Kennedy in our history that liberals and conservatives alike are eager to pronounce him as one of their own," [E. J.] Dionne notes. 

I'd argue it tells us more about the role of presentation over substance in the media and the public mind. In fact, I'd argue that the reason Kennedy is highly regarded is exactly the same reason Reagan is highly regarded.

To sumarize the article:

• the Cuban Missile Crisis was his fault
• the Bay of Pigs invasion (which precipitated the missile crisis) was his fault
• he escalated in Vietnam
• he backed a coup that put Baathists in power in Iraq
• he required tremendous pressure to do anything about civil rights
• and he never really passed domestic legislation of consequence

Besides the things in the article, he also started cutting top marginal tax rates. He didn't make up the "rising tide" line, but it's something only a rich person would say. If you can't afford a boat, a rising tide leaves you stuck in the mud, drowning.