The Origins of That Eisenhower 'Every Gun That Is Made...' Quote

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The current popularization of this quote was accomplished by Roger Waters from his 2010-2012 tour of The Wall. Over one million people worldwide have seen this tour.

Berkshire Music Ventures of NY 3:36PM July 11, 2012

Many who have fought would agree with the dream, but Ike knew the reality of needing to be ready for the post Stalin era and submitted 7 more defense budgets to insure we would have the opportunity for peace and prosperity. I remember talking to Ike at the Army War College in 1961 just after he left office and his message was about being prepared.

ray porter of PA 11:45AM April 14, 2012

11/14/11 Vet. WWII
Last week I waas asked if I had a Happy Veterans Day.I thought of the men and women who's lives are 'over' over there and of those who will be returning over there, wondering if they will return. What of we old Vets. and the jobs we did apparently not to well because new wars(police actions?)arise. What of the families who've lost their homes to bad mortgages and failed jobs? Can you afford the food and products that are reducing in size and quality? But most important what of the children what are we leaving them? Quality,quantity, or disaster. Don't forget, there millions of them all over the world. I think we will be leaving an empty bucket for them.

Charles W. Knopf of PA 4:01PM November 14, 2011

Thank you for this historical perspective about Eisenhower. As he was actually in the military and saw the horrors of war firsthand, he had a unique perspective from which to judge. The majority of modern Presidents have not served nor seen service in a war.
For those who are fiscally conservative, as I am, since 2001 the twin wars of Iraq and Afghanistan have added $4 trillion to the deficit. If we note that the federal deficit is $14 trillion, that is a very significant addition to the debt in the past 10 years. Wiser members of both political parties acknowledge that spending cuts must be made to defense and military spending.
Here is another quote:
Over the past decade, when we had no serious national adversaries, U.S. defense spending has gone from about a third of total worldwide defense spending to 50 percent. In other words, we spend more on defense than the planet's remaining countries put together.
~ Fareed Zakaria - August 3, 2011
For those who think continuing military spending should continue at its present pace, the U.S. Military is all volunteer and I am sure would appreciate your enlistment and service. To help pay for defense and military spending, one can always send in additional money payable to the U.S. Treasury, asking that it be applied to military expenditures, though that request may be denied, at least you will be showing your full support of current military spending.

Observer of ID 1:25PM October 01, 2011

HA, HA. HO, HO. HEE, HEE...
It was the libprogs who got into bed with the Bush-Cheney neocon war-n-waste mongers back in 2008 when they patted Candidate Obama on the back for his promised Af-Pak escalation.
That was under the assumption of a quid-pro-quo: The libprogs went along with war-n-waste as promised by Candidate Obama -- under the cover story of 'smarter' war-n-waste -- thinking they would then get a whole bunch of domestic-spending goodies from President Obama.
And the libprogs did get a whole lot of domestic-spending goodies, for a while, with all the stimuli.
Now that the Obama goody well has more than run dry, Scheisslinger tries to equate libprogs with opposition to perpetual war-n-waste.
Ha, ha. Ho, ho. Hee, hee. Very funny from Scheisslinger. But not in a good way.
Ron Paul, 2012. All the *****REAL***** best of liberalism, progressivism, and conservativism in one candidate. Obama, Bachmann, Romney, and Perry are all self-serving cartoon characters in comparison to Paul.

dom youngross of OH 5:29PM September 30, 2011

President Eisenhower was foretelling the emergence of the MIC (Military Industrial Complex) and had he been alive today he would have seen his prophecy come true. As for JFK there were many inspirational words in his inaugural speech but one line has stood out to me, "If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich." And yet here is Americans that decry the poor and champion the rich and call themselves Christians. Let these words ring in your hearts and your mind, " It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle then it is for a rich man to get into heaven."

The Woof of AR 4:15PM September 30, 2011

Schlesinger,
Your source, Ike, was a milquetoast president and a weak, vascillating commander.
Having said that, you are right. Military spending does cost taxpayers. But, military spending is a necessary evil, it is an absolute necessity, an essential expense that we can not live without. But, we can reduce that expenditure. We don't need to utilize a multi-million dollar cruise missle to eradicate 5 terrorist/sheep herders. It would much better and cost effective to expend a 30 round clip of 5.56 mm ball ammunition. The difference of $5,000,000 versus $15.00.
The essence of your blog is that massive military spending is immoral to the tax payer. Which I actually agree. But, using your same vain of rationale and arguement, I will submit that massive expenditures of taxpayer dollars to doll out goodies and treats to the undeserving is equally immoral and deplorable.
Your arguement serves to further validate the teaparty arguement for across the board reduction in spending and taxation.

david of ID 3:24PM September 30, 2011

NEVER THOUGHT MUCH OF IKE ANYWAY.... HELL, HE FIRED PATTON, SUPPORTED MONTGOMERY AND PROMOTED BRADLEY - I'M SURPRISED WE WON...Later, he chose Dick Nixon as his V.P..... Not a great judge of character.
Further, I observe that this expensive shield of men and machines raised America's standard of living and, to some degree, protected the world from tyrannical aggression for more than 4 decades.
Now our nation weakens, starved by dogmatic environmental restrictions on energy and food production, bled white by corporate and union greed and tied in knots by political correctness and a governmental bureaucracy gone mad with unlimited regulatory powers.
The hyenas are watching..... waiting ..... Just a little longer.

R.L. Schaefer of CA 1:19PM September 30, 2011

Where have all the reasonable Republicans gone?

T Ganski of FL 1:16PM September 30, 2011

Now lets hear from Kennedy: (from http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/progjfk5.htm)
“Even while running for President in 1960, JFK appealed to the "tough on the Soviets" issue by consistently hammering at Eisenhower for America's supposed lack of leadership, and America "falling behind the Soviets." It was JFK, promising more money for defense spending and American readiness when he charged Eisenhower for allowing a non-existent "missile gap" to develop between the U.S. and Soviet nuclear arsenals. And it was JFK, who during the debates with Nixon, charged that Eisenhower policy had resulted in the loss of Cuba.
Upon assuming the Presidency, JFK's Inaugural Address was as hawkish as one could ever get. "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we will pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty." “

kewaal of GA 1:11PM September 30, 2011