You see, I'm an Eisenhower Republican, because I know why Ike became a Republican and stayed a Republican until his dying breath. He fought for free will, local governance, individual liberty. His hardest decision wasn't D-Day, it was whether to send the 101st to Little Rock to confront the state and local government's refusal to follow the law. It pained him greatly to send federal troops to force compliance but the law had to be enforced.
Ike believed that racism and hate could never be ended by force, any more than anyone can force their wife to love their mother-in-law. Love for our neighbors must come from the free will of individuals, not forced on us by the federal government. Any government that tries to force us to love one another can just as easily force us to hate one another as Hitler did. Ike knew this and knew it all too well because he fought the statists in Nazi Germany and more statist regimes during the Cold War.
I hope and pray that General Petraeus is the next Eisenhower. I'm also hoping there's a Goldwater out there to keep him honest, just as Barry dogged Ike throughout his two terms.
I'm proud that both Reagan and Eisenhower represent their respective states with statues in the Capitol rotunda. Both men contributed immeasurably to advancing the cause of individual liberty and conservatism in this country and both men were terribly misunderstood by many on both sides of the aisle.
Very well said; add me to your list of scared sh*tless - for our Country, our Society, and our Children. My father, a Brit Vet and Quaker that fought in Europe, revered Ike, and was truly sorry to see him leave office.