[Dialogue] A surprise endorsement

[KroegerD at aol.com]

Obama may get lots of disenchanted Republican votes. I have  a 
disenchanted Republican sister who is seriously considering splitting  
her ticket in November; I'm encouraging her just to vote in the  
Democratic primary. In Texas we can vote in whichever primary we 
choose,  on primary election day. But we can only vote in one primary.

Why I'm  Backing Obama 
By Susan Eisenhower 

February 2,  2008

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-industriatel 
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'grandfather'<WBR>s did so well: Leave America a better, 
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.'







**************Biggest Grammy Award surprises of all time on AOL Music.     
(http://music.aol.com/grammys/pictures/never-won-a-grammy?NCID=aolcmp003000000025
48)
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