Review: ‘Bush,’ a Biography as Scathing Indictment

[forest444]

13. Well said. One for the bookmarks.

Ike's image has been one the most aggressively massaged of the former presidents - and I suspect above all because of all the free rein he gave the CIA (which as you know wields incredible influence over our media).

At the time he left office, however, he was looked at unfavorably by presidential historians and his approval ratings had been sagging for some time on account of the two recessions during his second term - a direct consequence of contractionary policies pushed by his Council of Economic Advisers Chairman (and Milton Friedman buddy) Arthur Burns.

His best-known domestic policy achievement - the Interstate Highway System - was actually crafted by Congress (Al Gore's father, in particular), and Ike only warmed to it after the Joint Chiefs mentioned it would be essential in case "the Reds invaded."

The "prosperous '50s" was likewise something Ike mostly inherited from Truman, without adding much to it himself. Contrary to popular perception today, GDP growth was slow under Ike (about 2.5% - which barely covered population growth back then) and unemployment under Ike actually rose sharply: from 2.5% to 7%, before Kennedy's reversal of Burns' tight monetary policy began reversing the trend in the Summer of 1961.

That said, he was indeed - relatively speaking - the last good Republican. His farewell address, in particular, was enlightenment of the kind we never see from presidents anymore - of either party.