All Eyes on Ike
The question which emerges, still unanswered, from Presi- dent Eisenhower's series of meetingS with congressional leaders on the legislative programme to be presented in January is— can the President gain the initiative in American politics ? He has to do so much befoie he reaches that point that there must still be some doubt as to whether he can do it at all. His own distaste for the shady ways of day-to-day, politics, the absence of any successor to the late Senator Taft as the Republican leader ot Congress, the jealousy of Senator McCarthy to preserve his own areas of power, and the desire of the Republican Party managers for an innocuous legislative programme in an election year—all these obstacles make the President's path a hard one. And if he overcomes them all he still has to face the positive difficulties of government and foreign policy—as distinct from party management. There is at least ope preliminary sign that he is willing to see his task the right way up—to decide first what must be done and dis- cover second the means to get Congressional support—for he has already gone ahead with his proposals for a relaxation or atomic secrecy, despite the fact that the isolationists do not like those proposals. It also seems likely that, having had to propose, in redemption of election pledges, a reduction of budgetary expenditure, he will stand firm against any new limitation on the permitted level of the national debt. But beyond that lies nothing but trouble—trouble with the Republicans if welfare services are extended, trouble with the Democrats if the Taft-Hartley labour law is not modified, trouble with Senator McCarthy if the tightening of the security laws do not go far enough, trouble with freedom-lovers every- where if it goes too far. It looks as if President Eisenhower is in for a difficult New Year. It is hardly the moment for non-Americans to offer criticism or advice, but they may perhaps express a hope that he will first face all his difficulties, and then overcome them. Everybody knows he is a good man. All men of good will want him to be a great President.
Previous page
