.. her speech in Denver last night was outstanding. Nobody has yet
posted it on youtube, but here is her editorial on why Barack Obama
should be president

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/01/AR2008020102621_pf...

Why I'm Backing Obama

By Susan Eisenhower
Saturday, February 2, 2008; A15

Forty-seven years ago, my grandfather Dwight D. Eisenhower bid
farewell to a nation he had served for more than five decades. In his
televised address, Ike famously coined the term "military-industrial
complex," and he offered advice that is still relevant today. "As we
peer into society's future," he said, we "must avoid the impulse to
live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the
precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets
of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political
and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all
generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow."

Today we are engaged in a debate about these very issues. Deep in
America's heart, I believe, is the nagging fear that our best years as
a nation may be over. We are disliked overseas and feel insecure at
home. We watch as our federal budget hemorrhages red ink and our civil
liberties are eroded. Crises in energy, health care and education
threaten our way of life and our ability to compete internationally.
There are also the issues of a costly, unpopular war; a long-neglected
infrastructure; and an aging and increasingly needy population.

I am not alone in worrying that my generation will fail to do what my
grandfather's did so well: Leave America a better, stronger place than
the one it found.

Given the magnitude of these issues and the cost of addressing them,
our next president must be able to bring about a sense of national
unity and change. As we no longer have the financial resources to
address all these problems comprehensively and simultaneously, setting
priorities will be essential. With hard work, much can be done.

The biggest barrier to rolling up our sleeves and preparing for a
better future is our own apathy, fear or immobility. We have been
living in a zero-sum political environment where all heads have been
lowered to avert being lopped off by angry, noisy extremists. I am
convinced that Barack Obama is the one presidential candidate today
who can encourage ordinary Americans to stand straight again; he is a
man who can salve our national wounds and both inspire and pursue
genuine bipartisan cooperation. Just as important, Obama can assure
the world and Americans that this great nation's impulses are still
free, open, fair and broad-minded.

No measures to avert the serious, looming consequences can be taken
without this sense of renewal. Uncommon political courage will be
required. Yet this courage can be summoned only if something
profoundly different transpires. Putting America first -- ahead of our
own selfish interests -- must be our national priority if we are to
retain our capacity to lead.

The last time the United States had an open election was 1952. My
grandfather was pursued by both political parties and eventually
became the Republican nominee. Despite being a charismatic war hero,
he did not have an easy ride to the nomination. He went on to win the
presidency -- with the indispensable help of a "Democrats for
Eisenhower" movement. These crossover voters were attracted by his
pledge to bring change to Washington and by the prospect that he would
unify the nation.

It is in this great tradition of crossover voters that I support
Barack Obama's candidacy for president. If the Democratic Party
chooses Obama as its candidate, this lifelong Republican will work to
get him elected and encourage him to seek strategic solutions to meet
America's greatest challenges. To be successful, our president will
need bipartisan help.

Given Obama's support among young people, I believe that he will be
most invested in defending the interests of these rising generations
and, therefore, the long-term interests of this nation as a whole.
Without his leadership, our children and grandchildren are at risk of
growing older in a marginalized country that is left to its anger and
divisions. Such an outcome would be an unacceptable legacy for any
great nation.

Susan Eisenhower, a business consultant, is the author of four books,
most recently "Partners in Space: US-Russian Cooperation After the
Cold War."