It has been said that history repeats itself, and in examining the current administration and that of John F. Kennedy, the saying is difficult to refute.

Striking similarities exist between President Barack Obama, and the presidency of JFK, beginning with their youth. At 43 and 47 respectively, both Kennedy and Obama were sworn into office as two of the five youngest presidents this nation has elected.

As a result, Obama and Kennedy faced difficult questions about their relative youth and inexperience coming into office.

According to the Associated Press, civil rights leader Andrew Young said in December of 2007 that Barack Obama was too young to run for the presidency.

One of Senator McCain’s (R- Arizona) chief criticisms of then-Senator Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign was his relative youth and inexperience. Inexperience was a powerful criticism in the 2008 election, since voters were aware that whoever was elected to the presidency would have a serious economic crisis to deal with.

Back 1960, JFK was viewed as what the New York Times has called “a risky bet” for the Democratic nomination, let alone the presidency.  Kennedy’s critics were proved at least partially right by the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, only several months into Kennedy’s term.

Both men also brought something new to the presidency, with John F. Kennedy acting as the first Roman Catholic president, and Barack Obama as the first African American presisdent.

Perhaps the most oft-mentioned comparison between JFK and Obama today, however, is the struggles both men had (or are currently having) in overseas conflicts.

JFK’s term saw the beginnings of the Vietnam War, although the conflict would not be seen as an unmitigated disaster until it escalated during Lyndon B. Johnson’s term.

President Obama currently faces difficult policy decisions both in Iraq and Afghanistan – two conflicts that have the potential to become just as disastrously unpopular as Vietnam eventually did.

There has been much speculation that U.S. involvement in Iraq and particularly in Afghanistan could turn into a situation parallel to Vietnam in sentiment.

Newsweek reported earlier in 2009 that, “The war in Afghanistan is starting to look disturbingly familiar.”

But the comparison extends beyond the realm of policy.

When recalling the Kennedy administration and the aura that it exuded, many also recall the glamorous young couple affectionately known as Jackie and Jack. Nearly 50 years later, the country has a similarly glamorous first couple to admire: Michelle and Barack.

Perhaps the most recent reminder of the current first couple’s  elegance was the state dinner last week. Michelle’s dress, designed by Naeem Khan,  was a soft gold color, decorated with sterling silver flowers.  At a time when the nation is in the midst of a deep recession and unemployment is higher than it has been in years, details like these are even more fascinating to Americans whose own lives have become more difficult.

The Mrs. O blog (at mrs-o.org) follows the First Lady’s wardrobe decisions, and wrote that the Naeem Khan dress was made by hand and had sterling silver sequins on champagne-colored silk chiffon. The dress took 3 weeks of labor and was worked on by 40 people.

The very existence of  blogs like Mrs. O demonstrates an interest in the lives of Barack and Michelle that previous administration since the Kennedys have rarely enjoyed. Previous first ladies such as Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton have not been regarded as nearly as fashionable.

Jackie Kennedy drew the same sort of admiration, and is widely regarded as a fashion icon even today.

Freddie Leiba of InStyle magazine told CNN in 2002, “Jackie [Kennedy] was the most stylish first lady ever.”

The American Camelot myth is one typically associated with the years between 1960 and 1963, the time when John F. Kennedy was in office as president. The myth embodies one of hope and idealism.

This is, in many ways, what the Obama family has come to symbolize for struggling Americans facing high rates of unemployment and a faltering economy.

In January, 2008, the Washington Post called President Obama “Camelot’s new knight.”

Amidst these comparisons, it remains to be seen whether President Obama will indeed work towards the Kennedy family’s Camelot, or forge another path entirely.