The anniversary of D-Day will be this Friday. In casual reading about Eisenhower's planning for the invasion I came across across the letter below which he'd written in case the mission failed.
What left me with my mouth hanging open is his willingness to accept unequivocal blame. Can yo imagine that in a leader today?
(As a side note: he mis-dated the letter with "July 5" instead of June. No doubt he wasn't getting much sleep at that point.)
What left me with my mouth hanging open is his willingness to accept unequivocal blame. Can yo imagine that in a leader today?
(As a side note: he mis-dated the letter with "July 5" instead of June. No doubt he wasn't getting much sleep at that point.)
Our landings in the Cherbourg have at this hour failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops.
My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available.
The troops, the air and the navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do.
If any blame or fault attached to the attempt it is mine alone.
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7 comments:
Corporate culture hadn't quite taken hold yet...avert blame, dodge, weave..ANYTHING but accept responsibility...have seen it in action in so many work places.
Condi's enjoyment of academic warfare speaks volumes. She and Bush excel at evading the consequences of their actions. When you are laughing your way to the bank...no way to hold anyone accountable.
Eisenhower was not a chickenhawk. He knew the cost first hand and understood responsibility.
LBJ was driven to despair over Vietnam casualties.
GWB stopped playing golf. For a little while.
LB: but the neocons talk a lot about 'personal responsiblity, but only when it comes to cutting welfare and other public assistance programs.
I didn't do it.
Eisenhower was the last good American president. Civil rights, his expansion of the New Deal programs and his warning about the military-industrial complex, etc. Not a bad chap.
Barack reminds me a bit of the Ikester. Mind you he has a looong way to go but he seems like a guy that would take the blame if his plan turned to shit. The country would be terrified of this revelation however since we've been getting BS from the White House for 4.5 decades. Truth would through the whole system outta wack!
That's shy Ike was prez
Ike would have been a perfect candidate to be swift boated these days.
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