Eisenhower's Forgotten Warning and the Threat of Authoritarian Currents in Our Politics

By Max Blumenthal, The New York Times
Posted on September 3, 2009, Printed on September 4, 2009
http://www.alternet.org/story/142404/

In this summer of town hall disruptions and birth-certificate controversies, a summer when it seemed as if the Republican Party had been captured by its extremist wing, it is worth recalling a now-obscure letter from President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Although Eisenhower is commonly remembered for a farewell address that raised concerns about the “military-industrial complex,” his letter offers an equally important — and relevant — warning: to beware the danger posed by those seeking freedom from the “mental stress and burden” of democracy.