unPresidented

UnPresidented: Dwight D. Eisenhower


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In 1953, few could argue that Eisenhower was not the most logical choice to guide the US through the beginning of the post-WWII era. A major general in the European theater of the war, Eisenhower understood well the horrific sacrifices many war-torn populations had to make in the war's 6-12 years.


With the USSR quickly becoming a threat to entering yet another wide-scale war, Eisenhower essentially helped invent the playbook of inserting US power into global affairs without sending an army to de-escalate a World War risk. Covert operations -- actions carried out to affect world events in secret and deny responsibility once uncovered, were the most ethical path in Eisenhower's mind to reducing death and suffering while expanding US global influence.

Ironically, Eisenhower warned of this expanding model of his creation of a "military-industrial complex" as he left the presidency, but it was too late. The Bay of Pigs Invasion, Iran-Contra Affair, and dozens more covert operations have taken place since he exited the White House for the same allure of avoiding responsibility when they go wrong. Fortunately, Eisenhower's saving grace is his domestic policies -- growing the US middle class to the strongest socio-economic status in its history.

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