President Dwight Eisenhower used to tell his Cabinet, "Let's not be in a hurry to make our mistakes."
This was a man who commanded and knew the intricacies of the Normandy Invasion and who'd juggled the egos of Churchill, de Gaulle, Montgomery, and Patton. He was well aware of how things can look great on paper and then rapidly go south. He knew that maps don't begin to reveal the complexities of life on the ground. He was one of our most experienced and realistic presidents; a tough operator who did not bluster and who understood that power must be carefully maintained and not frittered away on adventures. He also had a restrained view of the presidency and a deep respect for the Constitution. His foreign enemies - our enemies - did not regard him as weak.
Eisenhower's example is one that all presidents - and leaders for that matter - should study. Critics would later regard his style as bland. I suspect that Eisenhower would not have been bothered by those assertions. He knew that being deliberate, thoughtful, and thorough may seem bland to shallow observers who seek quick fixes. What he missed in charisma he gained in results.
The sign on his desk in the Oval Office read, in Latin, "Gently in manner, strong in deed."
2 comments:
You can't judget a president until at least a generation has passed. I've noticed over the past 20 years a growing respect for Ike, who when I was young was either totally ignored or treated as a bit of a joke as president. We will see, but I won't be suprised if in 50 years he isn't considered as one of the finer presidents of his age.
Dan,
You're right. Revisionist views of Eisenhower are growing in popularity. Fred Greenstein's book about the "hidden hand" presidency demonstrated that Eisenhower was not the detached and clueless decision maker that his critics portrayed. Recent biographies have been quite complimentary.
Few stumbles and a bunch of wise decisions. We were fortunate to have him.
Michael
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