Beam me to Planet Gore !
Posted on 10/04/2002 2:46:10 PM PDT by buffyt
Are you sure about that?
Eisenhower was greatly underrated. People don't know he wass top of his class at war college, which was one reason he was picked by McArthur at his right-hand man and wrote many of the General's speeches. When McArthur went to the Phillipines, Eisenhower went with him. The two men had a falling out and after Ike returned to the States, he was picked up by George Marshall, who set him to planning the Louisiana manuevers in which Eisenhower so distinguished himself that he became a favorite of Marshall. Jobs for which Marshall himself was suited: the command in North Africa and the command of Overlord, were handed to Eisenhower.
Eisenhower shows best in
his official papers, where he demonstrates a crisp style and
high intelligence. Even his speeches has a sharpness and directness that is lacking in his later, political ones.
His reputation as a dullard came as a result of his short tenure as president of Columbia. He had no use for men of high pretension. As a military officer and as a politician he was determined not to be like McArthur, and it was equally so at Columbia. He liked associating with businessmen of accomplishment, which was his job, of course since they had money to bring to Columbia. He did not get along well with the faculty, whom he recognized as mainly men of mediocore gifts amd great vanity.
As President of the United States He seems to have regarded press conferences much less highly than the press did. As Overlord Commander he had preferered to let others step forward into the press spotlight, so much that he had to be urged to go forward and make himself known. The press knew he did not take them, or at least the "shows" seriously, and liked to portray Ike's grudging and half-articulated answers as evidence of his lack of intelligence. So by and large the chattering classes did not appreciate one of the most accomplished figures of the 20th Century.
Gore's undergraduate transcript from Harvard is riddled with C's, including a C-minus in introductory economics, a D in one science course, and a C-plus in another.
But...but, he was the genius who invented the internet. He even said so!
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