On Aug 29, 10:55Â am, "Long Ranger" wrote:
> "CarlSwanson"
frontiernet.net> wrote in message
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> news:m07fb4l0vgir8nt3k39vvhf7fr6kpu6gef@4ax.com...
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>>> .. 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
>
>
>> 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."
>
> It would be interesting if she was a conservative. Being a Republican means
> very little as far as having a difference with Democrats.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
