[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Here’s how I see it.

A real leader would not have released the posed pic in the situation room and would not have talked about his courageous actions that night.

A real leader *might* have played cards if he thought his subordinates had the situation under control and that they would call him if they needed him.

The trouble here is that Hussein’s story is now at odds with that of Love.

If someone were to tell me that Eisenhower played cards on the AM of June 6 - I would not bat an eye. Because Eisenhower was a real leader and if he thought that he’d made all the necessary preparations and now what was going to happen was going to happen then fine.

The problem here is having once said that Hussein risked life and limb to sit in the situation room (which we all knew was BS) and now it turns out he didn’t - that’s the problem.

[kevkrom]

A real leader *might* have played cards if he thought his subordinates had the situation under control and that they would call him if they needed him.

The card-playing thing really doesn't bother me. A lot of these types of things are "hurry up and wait", with significant time between decision making and seeing the results. Playing cards is a fairly benign way to pass that time, and giving your hands something to do is a release for nervous energy.

[Madame Dufarge]

"Eisenhower was up at 0700 on June 6. His naval aide, Harry Butcher, came by his trailer to report that the airborne landings had gone in and the seaborne landings were beginning. Butcher found Eisenhower sitting up in bed, smoking a cigarette, reading a Western novel. When Butcher arrived, Eisenhower washed, shaved, and strolled over to the tent holding the SHAEF operations section. He listened to an argument about when to release a communique saying that the Allies had a beachhead (Montgomery insisted on waiting until he was absolutely sure the Allies were going to stay ashore) but did not interfere.

Eisenhower wrote a brief message to Marshall, informing the chief of staff that everything seemed to be going well and adding that the British and American troops he had seen the previous day were enthusiastic, tough, and fit. "The light of battle was in their eyes."

Eisenhower soon grew impatient with the incessant chatter in the tent and walked over to visit Montgomery. He found the British general wearing a sweater and a grin, Montgomery was too busy to spend much time with the supreme commander, as he was preparing to cross the Channel the next day to set up his advance HQ, but the two leaders did have a brief talk.

Then Eisenhower paid a visit to Southwick House to see Admiral Ramsay. "All was well with the Navy," Butcher recorded in his diary, "and its smiles were as wide as or wider than any."

At noon Eisenhower returned to the tent, where he anxiously watched the maps and listened to the disturbing news coming from Omaha. He called some selected members of the press into his canvas-roofed, pine-walled quarters and answered questions. At one point he got up from his small table and began pacing. He looked out the door, flashed his famous grin, and announced, "The sun is shining."

For the remainder of the day he paced, his mood alternating as he received news of the situation on the British and Canadian beaches and on Omaha and Utah. After eating, he retired early to get a good night's sleep.

The supreme commander did not give a single command on D-Day. Hitler gave two bad ones."

Eisenhower on D-Day