Marathon Pundit: 50th anniversary of Ike's farewell address

Monday, January 17, 2011

50th anniversary of Ike's farewell address

Ike mural, Abilene, KS

During the Dwight D. Eisenhower presidency the media, which was liberal but not as so much so as today, derided Ike as a "do nothing" and "push-button" leader. But he did his job so superbly that it just appeared he was doing nothing, despite, for instance, the creation of the interstate highway system during his eight years in the White House.

On this day 50 years ago, Eisenhower gave his farewell address to the American people. Libs still celebrate the speech because of Ike's warning about the military-industrial complex. They misinterpret him. For instance, the Kansas native declared:

A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction.

But Ike never said that there should not be a military-industrial complex, he recognized "the imperative need for this development."

Still:

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.