Evening star., 1948-07-05
Eisenhower's Dilemma

There is something family ludlcrous in
the spectacle of Democrats with such
diverse points of view as Governor Tuck
of Virginia and Mayor O'Dwyer of New
York beating the drums for General
Eisenhower as substitute for President
Truman on the Democratic ticket.
Governor Tuck is trying to throw the
President overheard because he is opposed
to the Truman civil rights program.
Mayor O'Dwyer is wholly in favor of that
program. Yet both men find it possible
to 60 down the line for General Eisen-
hover, although he has not said whether
he is for or against the position which the
President has taken on civil rights. If the
General stands with Mr.. Truman on the
civn rights issue, what would Governor
Tuck and those who think as he does, have
to gain from an Eisenhower nomination?
On the other hand, if he is opposed to
the program, how would his nomination
benefit Mayor ODwyer and that wing of
the party?
The fair answer seems to be that the
Democrats are not thinking nationally in
terms of issues. With the Southerners the
motivating force is a blind desire to punish
called, it is a case of frantically trying to
hitch their wagon to any star which gives
promise of victory in November. They do
not believe that Mr.. Truman can win and
they fear that his candidacy would have
an adverse effect on their State tickets.
They believe that General Eisenhower can
win, and therefore they are 100 per cent
for Eisenhower and let no one worry too
much about where he stands on the issues
of the day.
From the point of view of the des-
perate Democrats, this is understandable
enough. They are simply playing the
political game by the only rules they
know. Their desertion of the President
is a pretty shabby reward for the efforts
which he has made in behalf of the party
and the country, but these men, after
all, are politicians and it would be I'M
realistic to expect them to act otherwise.
General Eisenhower, however, Is not
politician. He is professional military
man whose wartime achievements have
elevated him to that peculiarly high
status which Americans have a way of
reserving for their great commanders.
For him, the question is whether he can
afford, for the sake of Democratic for
tunes, to permit himself to be dragged
into the political battle.
General Eisenhower has diSclamed any
desire or intent to become presidential
candidate. In his letter of last January
in response to a draft movement in New
Hampshire, he said: MY decision to re-
move myself completely from the political
scene is definite and positive"
In the light of that it is not conceivable
that General Eisenhower today is either
an active or a receptive aspirant for the
Democratic nomination. Indeed, it is
hard to see how he could accept the
nomination, even if it were the product
of a genuine draft, without stultifying
himself. 1t may be, as the polls indicate,
that he would win the election, but his
reputation as man of good faith would
suffer in the estimation of many people,
and the fair inference is that General
Eisenhower has no intention of letting
himself be used for the benefit of the
political schemers.
He is still faced, however, with some
thing of dilemma. He has said once,
in plain language, that he is not available
for and could not accept the nomination.
Now it looks as though he will have to
say it over again, and, if possible, in even
palmer language. That will not be easy,
but unless he takes himself out of the
political picture promptly and finally,
he Is apt to find himself next week in
possession of the Democratic nomination.