Why We Fight



I have recently have been watching documentaries on DVD. "Why We Fight" is a very pertinent film on the warning that Dwight Eisenhower issued in his Farewell Address about the dangers posed by the military-industrial complex. Eisenhower had recently been subject to the 'Missile Gap' campaign, led by a cabal of Pentagon-connected folks, and brought into the 1960 Presidential campaign by John F. Kennedy. Even though the 'Missile Gap' was a canard, the confirming intelligence was classified, and Eisenhower couldn't respond effectively. Despite his vast military experience, Eisenhower lost the arms race debate and was effectively sidelined. Bitter, Eisenhower saw grave danger to the Republic ahead.

Of course, we have now had two catastrophes resulting from the danger Eisenhower foresaw: Vietnam and Iraq. The danger is ever-present and very, very real. We are likely to experience the same danger again, and yet again, if we do not start to dismantle the out-of-control global empire of the USA, or at least subject it to some well-needed publicity and accountability.

If anything, I wish the film had had more on Eisenhower's embittering 'Missile Gap' experience. Nothing teaches like history!