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Old 05-21-2010, 04:18 PM
 
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True story:

My grandparents were HUGE fans of Eisenhower. Big, big Republicans. One afternoon, for about the thousandth time my grandmother said "Ike brought the boys home!"

My father, a WWII vet, his patience at an end apparently, turned to her and said, "The BOMB brought this boy home."
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Old 05-21-2010, 05:39 PM
 
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I assume your grandmother meant Korea right? Or WWII?
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Old 05-21-2010, 08:15 PM
 
Location: Fairfield, CT
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fred314X View Post
Wasn't it Eisenhower who first used the term 'military-industrial complex?' He saw what was coming much more clearly than a lot of other leaders at the time.
He warned of the military-industrial complex in his 1961 farewell address.

Eisenhower was not a conventional conservative in the sense of the word as we know it today. He resisted tax cuts on the grounds that the country couldn't afford them, and that it was more important to balance the budget. As I said earlier, he resisted calls for increased defense spending. And he resisted calls to intervene in Indochina in 1954 to prevent a French defeat. He was very cautious about any type of military engagements.

I find Eisenhower to be a fascinating topic because there have been so many misconceptions about him. His public image was that of an amiable national grandfather who was distant from policy formation, and he encouraged that image, but it was far from the truth. Eisenhower was cold and calculating, and in complete control of the issues about which he cared - primarily foreign policy.

He was deeply conflicted on civil rights. His main concern with the issue revolved around foreign policy, and the fact that the treatment of blacks in the US at that time gave the US a bad image abroad, especially with the countries in Africa and Asia that were becoming newly independent, which Eisenhower wished to keep out of the Soviet orbit. He also knew that the situation was wrong. But he was afraid of the reaction of white southerners if the issue was pushed too hard. He didn't see it as enough of a moral issue to really engage himself deeply in it.
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Old 05-22-2010, 01:50 PM
 
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Originally Posted by noetsi View Post
I assume your grandmother meant Korea right? Or WWII?
WWII.

My father, after being wounded in Europe, would probably have been sent to the Pacific theater after he recovered had not the war in the Pacific ended after Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

(Sorry. Should have made that clearer.)
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Old 05-22-2010, 03:01 PM
 
Location: Fairfield, CT
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Originally Posted by DewDropInn View Post
WWII.

My father, after being wounded in Europe, would probably have been sent to the Pacific theater after he recovered had not the war in the Pacific ended after Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

(Sorry. Should have made that clearer.)
It was Truman, not Ike, who dropped the atomic bombs on Japan and ended WW II without the necessity of a bloody invasion of Japan.
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Old 05-22-2010, 03:01 PM
 
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How did Eisenhower end WWII? Truman (and FDR) not Eisenhower was president then and made the key decisions. Eisenhower did end Korea, some say by threatening to use nuclear weapons.

Quote:
Eisenhower was not a conventional conservative in the sense of the word as we know it today.
He was a conventional conservative in the sense it was used in the fifties, modern conservatism is radically different than that which existed at that time.
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Old 05-22-2010, 04:01 PM
 
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Originally Posted by dazzleman View Post
It was Truman, not Ike, who dropped the atomic bombs on Japan and ended WW II without the necessity of a bloody invasion of Japan.
Yup.

The whole point of my story was that my grandparents thought Ike walked on water. They credited him with everything good that happened in that era. Including being the man who was solely responsible for bringing "the boys" (troops) home from WWII. My dad begged to differ with them.

I hear the name Eisenhower and I think of cleat marks on the Oval Office floor from where he practiced his putting. But no more Ike stories for me.
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Old 05-22-2010, 04:05 PM
 
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The public image of Eisenhower was very warm, and that contributed to support for him. The reality is that you don't get to be a five star general by being a nice guy. It takes steel to deal with people like Patton and Montgomery and infighting is fiercest in the US military than virtually any branch of government. Its a nasty, highly political world among generals.
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Old 05-22-2010, 04:07 PM
 
Location: colorado
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Originally Posted by Jamerschris View Post
Responsible for our Highways today. a great man who served our country... how did you like him overall? as presdient... I was not born in the 1950's but for some reason I admire him.
Wow I remember in grade school doing a report on him..I think I was in 6th grade.
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Old 05-22-2010, 04:43 PM
 
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Originally Posted by noetsi View Post
As a liberal I disagree with his views on labor, civil rights, and active government.
Considering that Eisenhowers sent the 1,000 members of the 101st Airborne to force compliance with court ordered integration of Central High School in Little Rock Arkansas, I find your argument a bit suspect.

Personally, If I was going to cite a criticism of Eisenhower was his near absolute avoidance of confronting McCarthyism.
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