Clark supporters or anyone with military experience

[Blue_Roses]

I have been doing some research on every President since the beginning of WWII and Eisenhower said something in his farewell speech that puzzeled me. I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on what he was talking about.

He warned against the " growing military-industrial complex"...

Is anybody familiar with what he is talking about?

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Eisenhower, Dwight David, 1890-1969, American general and 34th President of the United States, b. Denison, Tex.; his nickname was Ike.
Early Career

--snip--
Eisenhower's impressive performance in the 1941 army maneuvers led to his assignment in Washington, D.C. as chief of operations (1942) and preceded his meteoric rise to the top as Allied military commander of World War II. In June, 1942, General Eisenhower was named U.S. commander of the European theater of operations. He commanded U.S. forces in the North African landings (Nov., 1942) and in Feb., 1943, became chief of all Allied forces in North Africa.
Presidency

--snip--

Eisenhower was sought as a nominee for presidency of the United States in 1948 but rejected the offers made him. In Dec., 1950, he obtained a leave of absence as president of Columbia to become Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR).

--snip--
Later Years

In his farewell address as president, Eisenhower warned against the influence of the growing military-industrial complex...

www.historychannel.com

[DUreader]

1. I always thought his warning was about profit driven policy

profiteers , essentially, maintaining a perpetual state of war(hot or cold) and fear of war.

The amounts of money are so massive that a small percentage can be continously

pumped into campaigns and policy lobbies preventing any progress towards

peaceful solutions to the worlds problems

[mikehiggins]

2. Yeah. It's pretty clear what Ike was talking about.

The ties between the military and the folks who make their weapons is pretty easily demonstrated and, to Ike, posed a real danger to the political process in this country. The record is so full of examples of this that there is little point to examining the question at any length.

A hypothetical example: is it really military necessity that requires us to depend on major aircraft carriers to be the backbone of our fleet? Of course it is flattering to an admiral to be on a carrier, as it used to be de riguer to fly your flag on a battleship. However, since the carriers are so big and so easy a target, we have to spend money on expensive systems designed just to protect them and, of course, we have to develop planes that maximize the value of these floating airfields, and, of course, we have to maintain huge naval bases to build and maintain them, and, of course, the taxpayer is paying for all this which means someone has to make contributions to the politicians in Congress so these weapons systems have to be provided for in the budget, and so on and so forth.

Ike wasn't talking about some "military/industrial" conspiracy that would overthrow the nation such as contributed to the rise of the Nazi's in post-WWI Germany. He was talking about the corruption of the US political system by greed on a scale unparralled since the building of the pyramids (which were actually pretty effective public works projects on the part of the Pharoahs).

Of course, Ike was 100% correct,which is why you don't hear too much about that comment of his. The winners write the history books.

And, just in case there was some hidden anti-Clark message in your post, or the subsequent replies, he wasn't saying that we shouldn't elect military people to the presidency. He probably would think that was a very good idea. Probably like the guy who had his job as SACEUR as well.

[TreasonousBastard]

3. That's largely it...

and Ike recognized that WWII knocked us out of our anti-militaristc and isolationist period that lasted from WWI to Pearl Harbor.

Many think that it was the steel and weapons lobbies profiteering that pushed us into WWI, and Ike was warning against a repetition of that.

As we have seen, the Pentagon and defense contractors have had far too much to say about out domestic priorities and foreign affairs. Ike saw his service, and the military in general, as being for defense, not imperial forays.

[Blue_Roses]

4. let's be REAL CLEAR

there is NO "anti" ANY candidate in my post. But since you brought it up, I have been leaning toward Clark

No paranoia needed...believe me, I have my own reasons for researching these Presidents and I assure you it has NOTHING to do with Clark, Dean, or any other candidate.

Now that that is out of the way...

[mmonk]

5. "In the councils of government,

we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex".

-Farewell address, Jan. 17, 1961