Ike and the "lost Republican wisdom"....his 1953 speech about peace.

[madfloridian]

There is almost nothing similar in the present Republican party. Heck, even many Democrats now no longer believe in these simple precepts for a country's system of values.

From a post at Crooks and Liars:

Ike's words from 1953

Back when moderate Republicans were more numerous and had control of the party's discussion, they could be counted upon to develop some fairly sound national security guidance. Here's one of those moments:

First: No people on earth can be held, as a people, to be enemy, for all humanity shares the common hunger for peace and fellowship and justice.

Second: No nation's security and well-being can be lastingly achieved in isolation but only in effective cooperation with fellow-nations.

Third: Any nation's right to form of government and an economic system of its own choosing is inalienable.

Fourth: Any nation's attempt to dictate to other nations their form of government is indefensible.

And fifth: A nation's hope of lasting peace cannot be firmly based upon any race in armaments but rather upon just relations and honest understanding with all other nations.

Amazing words, and we do not hear many words like them today.

Here is more from his 1953 speech.

Chance for Peace Speech

It was delivered to the American Society of Newspaper Editors April 16,1953.

This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals.

It is some 50 miles of concrete highway. We pay for a single fighter with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people.

This, I repeat, is the best way of life to be found on the road the world has been taking.

This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron. These plain and cruel truths define the peril and point to the hope that comes with this spring of 1953.

When I look at the faces that today represent that party, I see no resemblance at all. I can not imagine such words coming from the mouths of John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, or any of the new Tea Party candidates.

[truedelphi]

1. Thank you for the quote.

Eisenhower was perhaps the ONLY President we ever had who could refuse to pay for weapons systems.

He could get away with that due to his war years' "hero" status.

[Octafish]

2. Ike must have gotten plenty of 'help' in changing his mind about that.

Sen. Prescott Bush looks on as President Eisenhower signs legislation creating the Interstate Highway system.



Of course, there were other things for government to spend money on, war and oil, for instance.

[Javaman]

3. Flowery words.

"Third: Any nation's right to form of government and an economic system of its own choosing is inalienable."

That is until United Fruit got pissed off at Guatemala about land sharing.

Or "helping out the French" in Vietnam aka Indochina in the late 50's.

Or doing a little bag job on Iraq.

The list goes on and on.

While Eisenhower warned us about the Military Industrial Complex. He also did a lot to encourage it.